*Agartala, Nov 2:* The youth wing of the opposition Congress on Sunday launched a statewide mass letter campaign addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, protesting the transportation of narcotics in a Delhi–Tripura goods train.
The campaign began centrally from Agartala and will soon be expanded to all blocks and localities across Tripura. Tripura Youth Congress President Neel Kamal Saha said the organization aims to send over 10,000 letters demanding a thorough investigation into the matter.
Security forces had earlier seized 1,07,800 bottles of banned Eskuf cough syrup from a goods train that arrived at Jirania railway station in West Tripura from Delhi on October 17. The consignment, concealed within two wagons, was valued at around ₹5.4 crore in the illegal market.
In the letter, the Youth Congress alleged that a nexus between certain ruling BJP leaders, corrupt traders, and drug peddlers is attempting to turn Tripura into a “drug-smuggling corridor,” even misusing railway services for illegal activities. “These peddlers are not small-time traders but big operators with political links. Police are reluctant to act against them,” Saha claimed, demanding strict action and the arrest of all accused.
Meanwhile, the Tripura Police Crime Branch (TPCB) on October 31 arrested 42-year-old Rajib Dasgupta, identified as one of the key masterminds behind the massive narcotics seizure. A senior police official said Dasgupta is a central figure in a drug trafficking network operating across the Northeast, while another accused remains absconding.
The joint operation—carried out by Tripura Police, Assam Rifles, Government Railway Police (GRP), Special Task Force (STF), and Customs—has been hailed as one of the major breakthroughs in Tripura’s ongoing war on drugs. Authorities suspect the banned cough syrup was intended for smuggling into Bangladesh through illegal border routes.
