Agartala, July 27 (Inditop.com) A Congress party worker was killed and another injured as clashes between ruling Left Front and opposition Congress activists, which started before the July 20 panchayat (village council) elections, continued in parts of the state, police said Monday.
Both the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Congress had given separate calls for a shutdown Monday in south Tripura’s district headquarter Udaipur — where the incident took place — crippling normal life.
Shops and businesses, government and semi-government offices and educational institutions remained closed, while traffic went off the roads in the temple town.
“Local Congress activist Haradhan Chowdhury, 50, was killed and another seriously injured during a clash between two rival political groups at Uttar Kalaban in southern Tripura, 60 km south of here,” a police spokesman said.
Police have arrested one man and are looking for 16 others, who were involved in the clash.
At least two people were killed and over a hundred political activists injured in clashes, which began after the announcement of the July 20 panchayat elections early last month.
Both the Congress and the CPI-M blame each other for the political violence.
“Like West Bengal, the people of Tripura want a change in the helm of affairs in the state. That’s why the ruling Left parties have resorted to violence against the opposition party works,” said Congress spokesman Sudip Roy Barman.
Barman and opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath told mediapersons: “Those who voted for the Congress party (in the July 20 panchayat polls) were attacked by the ruling CPI-M activists and even teenagers were not spared.”
However, CPI-M state secretary Bijon Dhar alleged that Congress activists have unleashed a reign of terror in different parts of the state and attacked a large number of Left party workers before and after the panchayat elections.
“People would not tolerate the political terror of the Congress and they have already been defeated in the crucial panchayat elections,” he told mediapersons here.
rounak