AGARTALA: Four days after the Tripura People’s Front (TPF) lodged a complaint with the governor followed by an FIR against Kolkata-based Bengali community leader Chandan Chatterjee, Nagarik Suraksha Manch (NSM), a non-tribal civil society organisation has lodged a counter FIR against royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman accusing him of fuelling communal tension.
The tribal- non-tribal sentiment flared up recently after Tripura government proposed to the Centre to settle 34,000 odd Brus from Mizoram in the state and a four-corner agreement was signed last month to keep them in the state with a lucrative rehabilitation package.
The non-tribals living in Kanchanpur area had been opposing the decision seeking similar package for the internally displaced Bangalis and strict action against the accused Brus, who had indulged in attack on non-tribal families during anti-CAB demonstration on December 10 across the state.
The NSM has been agitating to press for the demand for the past one month and about 93 homeless Bengali families took shelter in Ananda Bazar police station of North Tripura.
NSM leader Diptanu Debnath said that the forum had to lodge a complaint with police since Pradyot Kishore had made inflammatory statements against the Bengali community. However, showing him respect, NSM had refrained from lodging complaints hoping he would stop inciting communal sentiments but there is no sign of correction.
He pointed out that Pradyot Kishore had recently directly mentioned that Assamese people had become minority because of Bengalis. In an oblique reference, he made such statement in Tripura also.
His direct or oblique references to Bengali community are unacceptable. “Such statements not only show the Bengali community in a poor light but are also potentially dangerous for communal harmony and unity,” he added.
These are indirect hate speeches and seriously communally-sensitive” he said and added: “It is the duty of the government to identify who had infiltrated in Assam or for that matter, in Tripura. Identifying whole Bengali community as Bangladeshis is not acceptable, hence, the FIR was lodged.”
Both tribal and non-tribal people have always been living in peace, even during ethnic violence in 1980s there was no incident in the areas. “Even at present, there is no enmity between different communities living in Kanchanpur but, outsiders are creating trouble and fomenting communal sentiments. Our fight is against the outsiders, we have no qualms against any community, political party or administration”, Debnath said.
Earlier, TPF had lodged complaint against Bengali leader Chatterjee with police accusing him of delivering communal speech and hitting at the status of Pradyot Kishore. Allegedly, Chatterjee indicating Pradyot asked, “King should be a king for all but during the tension he did not meet with homeless Bengali families.”
The TPF leaders had met Governor Ramesh Bais seeking action against Chatterjee and others accusing them of insulting Pradyot Kishore. (UNI)
