Shri Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist), wrote the following letter to the Prime Minister of India on the violence let loose on the CPI(M) and the Left Front in Tripura.

We are herewith releasing the text of the letter for publication.

 

Dear Pradhan Mantriji,

We draw your attention to the outrageous violence let loose on the CPI(M) and the Left Front in Tripura yesterday, 8th September.

In a pre-planned fashion, scores of offices of the CPI(M), including the state headquarters, were attacked by mobs of BJP men.  Among the offices which were damaged or burnt down are the Udaipur sub-divisional office, Gomati district committee office; Sepahijala district committee office; Bishalgarh sub-divisional committee office, Santar Bazar sub-divisional office; West Tripura district committee office and the Sadar sub-divisional committee office.

The most brazen attack was on the state committee office in Agartala.  They have ransacked the ground and first floors of the office, burnt two office cars and broken the bust of Dasarath Deb, a revered leader of the people of Tripura.

Houses of many leaders and activists of the CPI(M) were attacked, ransacked or set on fire.

Even the media was not spared with attacks on the offices.  The office of the newspaper `Daily Desharkatha’, which is supported by the CPI(M), was also damaged.

It is to be noted that the police who were present at many of these venues remained silent bystanders.  In the case of state committee office some CRPF jawans were present in front of the office but they were withdrawn an hour before the attack began. (The details of the attacks are annexed.) 

  The impunity with which the attackers operated shows the connivance of the state government.  These attacks took place because the ruling party has tried and failed to suppress the activities of the main Opposition in the state.

We strongly urge you to intervene without any delay to stop these violent attacks against the CPI(M) and the Left Front. The manner in which the attacks took place makes it clear that the State Government is grossly failing in discharging its Constitutional responsibility of maintaining law and order and trampling on the Constitutional rights of the opposition to organise political activities in a peaceful manner.

The failure of the police, if not connivance, to check the violence and book the culprits makes it imperative that the Central Government act to enforce the Constitutional principles.

Expecting an urgent response.

With regards,

 

Yours sincerely,

S/d

(Sitaram Yechury)

General Secretary

 

 

Annexure

Series of violent attacks carried out by

BJP men in Tripura on 8th September, 2021

 

1.     In Udaipur  town,   there was a pre-scheduled programme of DFYI under the slogan “Where is my Job” today with the permission from the competent authority. The police was insisting the organizers to cancel the programme from previous day. But they stuck to their program. Today, on way to the programme, many participants were  attacked, by the BJP miscreants. While the procession was about to start, the police did not allow it to be brought out. The BJP goons pelted brick-bats and stones at the Udaipur Sub-Divisional Committee office as well as Gomati District Committee Office of the party. Here they heavily damaged party car and other vehicles.

2.     At Bishalgarh, the BJP’s known goondas carried out on attack on the Sepahijala District Committee office and the Bishalgarh  Sub-Divisional Committee office in broad day light. They demolished a part of the office by bulldozer and ransacked, looted and set fire to the office equipment in the ground floor and first floor. The house of Partha Pratim Majumder, Sepahijala District Committee member near to Bishalgarh  CPI(M) office was raided and ransacked by the same miscreants.

3.     At about 4.00 p.m. today,  the BJP miscreants attacked the West Tripura District Committee office as well as the Sadar Sub-Divisional Committee office at Melarmath, Agartala coming in a procession. There they extensively pelted brick-bats aiming the office heavily damaging the front side of the office. They forced into the office breaking the gate and heavily vandalized the first floor. There they burnt down and damaged party car and motor-bikes. 

Very close to the West Tripura District Committee office, there is an office of the electronic media channel and print media in the name PN-24 news and ‘Pratibadi Kalam’ coverage of which is not in the liking of the BJP and the government. The same gang of miscreants entered into this office also and vandalized all office articles inside the office and damaged car.

4.     This was followed by the main attack on the   CPI(M) State Committee office at Agartala, the capital at about 4.20 p.m.  About 60/70 BJP miscreants came out of the procession and attacked the state committee office. They burnt down office cars, broke up the statue of Dasaratha Deb, and extensively ransacked the  ground and first floors of the office.  

Till 3.00 p.m., there was a contingent of CRPF jawans in front of party office. At 3 p.m. they were withdrawn from the office and soon after this attack started. The attackers carried on destruction inside the office for about an hour.

5.     Adjacent to the state committee office, there exists the office of the ‘Daily Desher Katha’, the Party’s newspaper. The miscreants did not spare this office also. They intensively brick-batted the office causing damage to the Managerial section of the newspaper.

6.     Today, there was a procession organized by BJP at Kathalia under Sonamura Sub-Division. Though their mobilization was not so big, after the procession, the BJP miscreants set fire to the Kathalia CPI(M) office and attacked the house of Nani Paul, Sonamura Sub-Divisional Committee member and Secretary of the Kathalia party Local Committee.

Report of other incidents which have poured in :

1.     Dukli Sub-Divisional Committee office at Hapania, West Tripura was set on fire.

2.     Gandachara  Sub-Divisional Committee office at Gandachara, Dhalai District was burnt down.

3.     Longthorai Valley  Sub-Divisional Committee office at Manu, under Dhalai District was extensively ransacked.

4.     Santirbazar Sub-Divisional Committee under South Tripura District was demolished by bulldogger.

5.     Kamalpur Local Committee office at Kamalpur town was burnt down.

6.     Boxanagar Local Committee office in Sonamura Sub-Division was gutted down.

7.     Melaghar  Local Committee office at Melaghar town was set on fire

8.     Kathalia Local committee office in Sonamura Sub-Division was demolished by bulldogger last night. Previous day it was set on fire.

All the above offices were attacked, and set on fire several times earlier.

9.     Rahimpur CPI(M) office in Sonamura Sub-Division was gutted down

10.                        Natunnagar Local Committee office in Sadar Sub-Division was gutted down.

11.                        Gandhigram Local Committee office in Mohanpur  Sub-Division was demolished by bulldogger.

12.                        Jogendranagar  Local Committee office in Sadar Sub-Division was gutted down.

13.                        Rabindranagar Local committee office under Sonamura Sub-Division ransacked.

14.                        Dhanpur Local Committee office in Sonamura was ransacked

15.                        Mohanbhog Local Committee office under Sonamura Sub-Division was gutted down.

16.                        Santirbazar Local Committee office under Kamalpur Sub-Division was ransacked and gutted.

17.                        Halahali Local Committee office under Kamalpur Sub-Division was gutted down.

18.                        Bagharghat Local Committee office under Sadar  Sub-Division was ransacked.

19.                        Bordwali Local Committee office under Sadar  Sub-Division was ransacked

20.                         In Udaipur  Sub-Division of Gomati District Local Committee offices at Bagma, Matarbari , Kakraban and Khilpara were set on fire at night.

21.                        Natunbazar LocalCommittee office in Amarpur Sub-Division, Gomati District was set on fire.

22.                        The House of Narayan Deb, party State Committee Member at Dukli, West Tripura was extensively ransacked and then set on fire last night.

23.                        House of Manik Biswas, party State Committee member and Secrtary, Udaipur  Sub-Divisional Committee was set on fire.

24.                        The house of Sribas Debnath, Gamati District Committee Member at Tulamura of Udaipur  Sub-Division was set on fire

Apart from these, many houses of party leaders, workers and sympathizers have been attacked, ransacked and set on fire. The terror drive is still going on throughout the state.