Agartala, March 11: The parliamentary team, which arrived in Tripura on Friday on a two-day visit to the BJP-ruled Tripura to probe the incidents of post poll political violence and talk to the affected people, was attacked in the state on Friday.
CPI-M Tripura state secretary and former minister Jitendra Chaudhury said that the parliamentary team has been compelled to suspend its residual outdoor programs scheduled for Saturday in the face of a gruesome attack unleashed upon them at Nehalchandra Nagar Bazar (Bisalgarh) on Friday evening.
Congress and CPI-M sources said that when the members of the parliamentary team were visiting the violence hit Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district, some people backed by the ruling BJP attacked them and damaged three vehicles.
“The MPs and the accompanying Congress and CPI-M leaders quickly left from the place and escaped the major attack,” a CPI-M statement said.
Local BJP workers also obstructed the visiting parliamentary delegation at Mohanpur in Western Tripura.
A police statement said that the MPs accompanied by the local MLAs and leaders made an unscheduled visit to Nehal Chandra Nagar (Bishalgarh) when some sloganeering was done.
“The accompanying police escort team responded quickly and rescued the delegation safely. Senior officers were at the spot. No injury to any person has been reported. Damage to 2/3 vehicles has been reported. One suspect has been detained. Raids are on to identify and arrest other miscreants,” the police statement said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condemning the incident tweeted : “A delegation of Congress leaders was attacked by BJP goons today in Bishalgarh and Mohanpur in Tripura. Police accompanying the delegation did nothing. And tomorrow BJP is having a victory rally there. Victory of party-sponsored violence.”
Leaders of Congress and the CPI-M said that the parliamentary team, comprising four MPs of Lok Sabha and three MPs of Rajya Sabha, divided into three groups, visiting violence-hit villages and urban areas of three districts — West Tripura, Sepahijala and Gomati.
MLAs and leaders of Congress and CPI-M have accompanied the parliamentary team.
The members of the parliamentary team include, P.R. Natarajan, Ranjita Ranjan, A.A Rahim, Abdul Khalique (Lok Sabha) and Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Vinay Viswam, and Elaram Karim (Rajya Sabha).
