Agartala, January 03, 2025: Tripura’s ex-Minister and Pradesh Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman has come down heavily on what he termed a “heinous communal assault” on a rickshaw puller in Agartala, calling for the immediate arrest of those responsible.
The victim, Didar Hossain, hails from Birchandra Manu in South Tripura and works as a rickshaw puller in the capital city, where he also resides as a tenant in the Bitarban locality.
Roy Barman said that the incident took place on Tuesday evening when Hossain was returning home after a day’s work. After paying the daily rent for his rickshaw, he was allegedly intercepted by a group of individuals who demanded to know his identity.
Upon revealing his name, Hossain was reportedly subjected to physical assault and communal abuse. The attackers allegedly shoved him into a pile of roadside sand and beat him severely, also robbing him of ₹1,200—his entire day’s earnings.
Roy Barman, who accompanied the victim to the police station to file a complaint, condemned the attack as a targeted act of religious hatred. “The assailants told him that Muslims are not allowed to live in the area,” he said, drawing parallels with communal violence in Bangladesh. He further accused individuals aligned with RSS ideology of orchestrating such attacks against innocent Muslims in India.
“The man is impoverished and toils daily to support his family. After the assault and robbery, he didn’t even have money left to buy food,” the Congress leader stated.
The incident has sparked outrage in the local community. On Wednesday, residents of Bitarban gathered to demand the immediate arrest of the culprits, warning that unchecked communal violence could sow fear and unrest in the region.
Expressing deep concern, Roy Barman pointed to what he described as a disturbing pattern of identity-based violence over the past decade. “If such incidents persist in India, how are we any different from religious extremists elsewhere?” he questioned.
He called upon citizens across all communities to unite against the rising tide of communalism. “In a democratic nation, there is no place for hatred and violence based on religion, caste, or language,” he asserted.
