Agartala, September 3:After the Opposition parties in Tripura, the ruling BJP’s NDA ally Tipra Motha has also raised serious concerns over what it called a growing state of lawlessness, particularly after one of its MLAs was allegedly threatened inside the highly secured MLA hostel in Agartala on Monday late night.
The Opposition CPI(M) and Congress have long accused Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, of failing to maintain law and order. Now, Tipra Motha spokesperson and advocate Anthony Debbarma echoed similar concerns, saying: “If MLAs are not safe inside the hostel, what will be the condition of common people?”
He pointed that it is totally failure of the security in the state.
Human rights activist and senior advocate Purushottam Roy Barman went a step further, alleging police complicity in shielding the accused.
He claimed that although ruling party MLA Philip Reang had filed a complaint stating he was threatened with his throat being slit, the FIR was registered under bailable sections, enabling the accused to walk free within hours.
“This reflects a dangerous trend where even threats to an elected representative are downplayed. If this can happen to an MLA, what hope remains for ordinary citizens?” Roy Barman questioned.
He further alleged that such practices of protecting politically connected accused have persisted for years and called the incident an “eye-opener” on the prevailing lawlessness in Tripura.
However, BJP firmly rejected these allegations. State president and MP Rajib Bhattacharjee asserted that unlike in the past, culprits no longer receive political shelter.
“The DGP and Deputy Speaker visited the hostel after the incident, and action was taken on the basis of the complaint. Law and order is the top priority of this government, and no lawbreaker enjoys protection,” he said.
When asked how the accused managed to secure bail despite the seriousness of the allegations, Bhattacharjee maintained that he was not a legal expert but insisted that “the law will take its own course, irrespective of who the accused is.”
The episode has triggered a new wave of political heat in Tripura, with both the Opposition and the BJP’s ally Tipra Motha now converging on the issue of law and order, posing fresh challenges for the ruling party as it seeks to defend its governance record.
