Agartala, September 29: Tipra Motha on Tuesday demanded the immediate arrest of those allegedly responsible for shooting at its workers during the Village Committee elections in Udaipur, warning that it would announce its next course of action if no arrests were made within 24 hours.
A nine-member delegation of the party’s senior leaders met Tripura State Election Commission officials in Agartala and submitted a deputation seeking urgent intervention into the incident.
The delegation met senior election official Anurag Sen at the Commission’s office in Gorkhabasti.
It comprised TTAADC Chief Executive Member Runiel Debbarma, MLAs Ranjit Debbarma and Biswajit Koloi, 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 immediate action as the incident took place in connection with the election.
“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.
Debbarma alleged that the attackers arrived in vehicles and opened fire near a polling station, but no arrests had been made even after 24 hours.
He further claimed that some of the injured Tipra Motha workers had identified the alleged attackers and provided information to the police, but action was yet to be taken.
The party leader said Tipra Motha representatives would visit the site of the incident and speak to local residents to gather more information about the circumstances surrounding the violence.
The party also sought immediate steps to restore law and order and prevent a recurrence of violence.
Debbarma said police personnel were also injured during the incident and termed the violence “highly undesirable” in the context of an election.
He stressed the need for adequate security arrangements at polling stations and measures to ensure the safety of candidates, voters, polling personnel and political workers.
The demand came a day after polling was held for the Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the first such elections in nearly a decade.
The elections saw several parties, including Tipra Motha, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and CPI(ML), field candidates.
The allegations made by Tipra Motha have prompted calls for investigation by the concerned authorities. Police action and the Election Commission’s response are likely to determine the next course of developments following the violence.
