THE CPI(M) staged a protest in front of the Tripura Police headquarters on November 15, demanding the arrest of BJP-backed miscreants. Party state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury sharply criticised the role of some high-ranking officers, including the director general of police. He made it clear that in the last three-and-a-half years, democracy has been undermined by the incompetence and callousness of the state government and some high-ranking officers of the police department. The rule of law is completely doomed. In particular, he has sharply criticised the role of the DGP. The police department has become a slave of the ruling BJP.

BJP-backed miscreants continue to terrorise people, even in the process of municipal elections. Left Front activists, including candidates, are also being attacked in broad daylight. Despite lodging FIRs, the police did not make any arrest. No action is being taken to stop the BJP’s hooliganism. The government, election authorities and the police have left the state in the hands of anti-social elements. In this situation, the CPI(M) staged a protest in front of the police headquarters against the inaction of the police and demanding peaceful elections. A large procession marched from the CPI(M) West district committee office to the police headquarters on November 15. Protesters in front of the police headquarters raised slogans against the police failure to hold free and peaceful elections. It has been demanded that the police should take action to stop the BJP’s bullying. Opposition candidates, including those of the Left Front, have been attacked one after another since the announcement of the elections. The CPI(M) has demanded an answer from the director general of police as to why no one has been arrested so far. 

On November 14, two women candidates of the Left Front of Agartala Municipal Corporation were attacked. A CPI(M) candidate was attacked while campaigning in Dharmanagar on November 15th morning. Such attacks have become a daily affair. Candidate Samar Chakraborty, who is the former deputy mayor of Agartala, has been attacked seven times at his home. A complaint has been lodged with the names of the miscreants along with CCTV footage. But not a single person has been arrested. Highlighting these incidents, Jitendra Chowdhury has strongly criticised the role of the police. He said since the BJP-IPFT coalition government was formed in Tripura in 2016, the rule of law has been shattered in the state. Democracy has been robbed in Lok Sabha elections, panchayat by-elections and panchayat elections. The CPI(M) had hoped that what had happened in the last three-and-a-half years would not happen in the urban elections, but the BJP did not learn. A reign of terror has been unleashed since the official notification for the civic elections was issued on October 26.

Jitendra Chowdhury said, “Democracy is nowhere in Tripura. There is no opportunity to exercise constitutional rights. Opposition parties have no chance of enjoying their constitutional rights. Be it day or night, the ruling party's thugs are breaking into houses, they are setting them on fire. Party offices are being demolished. But the Tripura police is silent. The President of India has rewarded the Tripura police. They have tarnished their own image.” He said the situation was due to incompetence of some officers sitting in high positions in the state government and the police department. Democracy is undermined by their actions. Tripura is burning and there is no democracy. He said, “We have not come in front of the DGP office just for CPI(M). We have come for all the people who love democracy. Overall, we have come to save Tripura from the cremation journey of democracy under the leadership of Biplab Deb….” Manik Dey, CPI(M) state secretariat member addressing the dharna said, violence was rampant in the entire state. Democracy is under attack. The movement must continue.