Agartala, September 29: The Tipra Motha on Tuesday demanded the immediate arrest of those allegedly involved in the firing that injured one of its candidates during the Village Committee elections in Udaipur, giving authorities 24 hours to take action.
A nine-member delegation of senior Tipra Motha leaders met State Election Commission official Anurag Sen at the Commission’s office in Gorkhabasti here and submitted a deputation seeking urgent intervention.
The delegation included TTAADC Chief Executive Member Runiel Debbarma, MLAs Ranjit Debbarma and Biswajit Koloi, and MDCs Suraj Debbarma, Jiten Debbarma and Prathmit Debbarma, besides other party representatives.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, MLA Ranjit Debbarma said the party had sought swift action as the firing took place while polling was underway.
“If the attackers are not arrested within 24 hours, the party will announce its next course of action. Since the incident occurred in connection with the elections, we have demanded swift intervention from the Election Commission,” he said.
The firing was reported from Warengbari in Gomati district on Monday afternoon. Police said a Tipra Motha candidate was injured after unidentified persons allegedly opened fire, while two other persons were also injured. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment.
Debbarma alleged that the attackers had arrived in vehicles and opened fire near the polling station, but claimed that no arrests had been made even after 24 hours.
He further claimed that some injured party workers had identified the alleged attackers and provided information to the police, but action was yet to be taken.
The Tipra Motha leader said party representatives would visit the site of the incident and interact with local residents to gather details about the circumstances surrounding the violence.
The party also demanded immediate steps to restore law and order and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
Debbarma said police personnel were also injured during subsequent clashes and described the violence as “highly undesirable” in the context of an election.
According to reports, Gomati Superintendent of Police Anirban Das was injured in stone-pelting during a subsequent clash at the Gamaria strong room, while the official vehicle of Udaipur SDPO Debanjali Roy was vandalised.
The party stressed the need for adequate security at polling stations and protection of candidates, voters, polling personnel and political workers.
The Village Committee elections under the TTAADC were held on Monday after a gap of nearly a decade. Polling was reported to be largely peaceful across most areas, although isolated incidents of violence were reported in Gomati district.
The BJP, Tipra Motha, CPI(M), Congress and other parties contested the elections, with the latest demand adding to calls for investigation into the incidents reported during polling.
