Agartala, March 19, 2024: In a fervent appeal to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in New Delhi, Jitendra Chaudhury, the state secretary of the CPIM and Leader of the Opposition, has brought attention to a disturbing incident of violence allegedly perpetrated by BJP workers. Chaudhury’s letter, dated Tuesday, outlined the attack on an elderly woman in the 2-Mohanpur assembly constituency, underscoring the police’s apparent failure to intervene.
“Only a day after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election by the Commission, a fatal attack was carried out on an octogenarian lady, Milan Bala Deb, solely because she happens to be the mother of CPIM leader Raman Deb,” Chaudhury wrote in his letter to the CEC.
According to the letter, the incident took place at Gangagatipur under the 2-Mohanpur assembly constituency at around 7 PM. Chaudhury detailed how BJP workers, identified as Ranjan Debnath, Ranjit Debnath, Parimal Debnath, and Dhiman Debnath, allegedly pursued Raman Deb, a CPIM Mohanpur SDC Secretariat Member, with lethal weapons in front of his residence. When Deb’s mother and wife attempted to intervene, the attackers purportedly struck his mother on the head, resulting in severe bleeding and her subsequent hospitalization.
Despite Raman Deb promptly filing a First Information Report (FIR) at the Sidhai Police Station, Chaudhury lamented the authorities’ lack of action against the accused. He suggested that the alleged assailants’ affiliation with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the area might be influencing the police’s response.
“It is unfortunate that this saddening and inhuman attack on an aged lady has taken place when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is enforced, and sufficient security forces have been deployed in various parts of the state,” Chaudhury emphasized.
In his plea to the CEC, Chaudhury urged for immediate intervention, requesting that appropriate police authorities expedite the arrest of the accused individuals. Furthermore, he implored the CEC to ensure that the detained suspects remain in custody until the conclusion of the ongoing election proceedings.
