Congress does not want Manipur like situation in Tripura: Gaurav Gogoi

Agartala, July 19: Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said that his party does not want ethnic violence similar to Manipur to erupt in Tripura and it wants equal justice for everyone and each community.

Gogoi along with Lok Sabha Member and former Union Minister Tariq Anwar accompanied by other senior Congress leaders met Tripura Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu and discussed the ongoing violent incidents relating to Panchayat elections in the state and recent ethnic violence in Ganda Twisa in the state's Dhalai district.

He said that the Congress wanted justice for the youth who was killed and for those people, whose houses, shops, and properties were either set ablaze or damaged in the recent ethnic violence in Ganda Twisa. Large-scale arson, attacks, and looting took place in Ganda Twisa on July 12 after the death of a tribal college student Parameshwar Reang, who succumbed to his injuries after being assaulted on July 7.

According to officials, over 40 houses, 30 shops, and many vehicles were either burnt or severely damaged by the attackers in Ganda Twisa situated 130 km southeast of Agartala. Over 300 villagers took shelter in special camps after the violence. The Tripura government announced Rs 1.60 crore compensation for the 166 affected families.

Gogoi, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Assam's Jorhat Parliamentary constituency, claimed that the law and order situation has collapsed in Tripura, democracy and the Constitution are now under threat and people are not getting due justice from the authority.

"Our party leaders in Tripura from time to time inform the police authority about the violence in Ganda Twisa and violent incidents relating to the upcoming Panchayat elections, but the government is not taking any steps and actions against the perpetrators," he said.

Demanding the Governor's intervention, the Congress leader said, "Our party candidates are not being allowed to submit nominations in a large number of seats, therefore there is no guarantee that the voters can reach polling booths on the day of polling on August 8." He said that the "entire world is watching how many incidents of violence are taking place in Tripura ahead of the panchayat elections".

Tariq Anwar, who is a member of the Congress Working Committee, said that the panchayat poll on August 8 "should be held in a free, fair and transparent manner allowing all parties to participate in the entire electoral process".

Earlier in the day, the Tripura High Court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct free and fair three-tier Gram Panchayats elections on August 8. A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Arindam Lodh and Justice Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha asked the SEC to hold the panchayat elections freely, fairly and transparently.

The High Court passed the order after the opposition Congress and the CPI-M filed separate petitions before the court seeking its directions to the SEC to conduct the Gram Panchayats elections freely and fairly after a large number of violent incidents took place across the state while the candidates of the opposition parties tried to submit their nomination papers.