Allegations of violent infighting within the ruling BJP triggered tension in Dharmanagar under North Tripura district on Wednesday, following claims of separate assault incidents involving supporters of different factions. Heavy deployment of police and CRPF personnel was made at the BJP’s district office ‘Atal Bhavan’ in the town to prevent any further escalation.
The unrest reportedly began on Tuesday night after an attack on Siddhartha Deb, father of ABVP student leader Rajtanu Deb. Siddhartha Deb, who is also associated with the BJP as booth-level factionary, alleged that he was taken from near his residence by a youth on the pretext of holding a discussion and was later assaulted at a scheduled location by a group of 30 to 35 people.
According to him, the attackers repeatedly questioned why his son had participated in the recent ABVP led student movement at Dharmanagar college. Deb also claimed that he was threatened with dire consequences by his family, suffered a fractured arm during the assault and was forced to record a video under duress with a fabricated statement about the incident.
He further alleged that despite informing the police on Wednesday morning, no immediate action was taken. Following the intervention of BJP Mandal president Shyamal Nath, the injured Siddhartha Deb was shifted to GB Hospital in Agartala for advance treatment.
In protest against the alleged assault, a meeting was convened at the BJP district office, Atal Bhavan, on Wednesday afternoon. During the meeting, Munna Paul and Mihir Deb, who were allegedly named in connection with the previous night's incident and are considered close to local MLA Jahar Chakraborty, reportedly arrived at the office.
Munna Paul alleged that they had gone to the office to collect party scarves (Uttariyo) when they were called inside by Mandal president Shyamal Nath and district leader Jayajit Sharma. He claimed that the office gate was then locked and that they were assaulted by around 20 to 25 people.
After receiving information about the incident, MLA Jahar Chakraborty and his wife, former Chairperson of the Tripura Women's Commission (TCW) Barnali Goswami, rushed to the party office. With police and CRPF personnel intervening, Munna Paul and Mihir Deb were escorted out safely. They later went to Dharmanagar Police Station before being advised to undergo medical treatment at the district hospital.
Reacting to the developments, BJP district president Kajal Kumar Das sought to downplay the incident. He told reporters that he had returned after receiving information while travelling to Damcherra. According to him, the incident was not a major factional clash but merely a misunderstanding involving some young party workers, leading to arguments and minor scuffling. He said both the Mandal president and the MLA were present and helped restore normalcy, adding that the matter would be resolved internally.
On the alleged assault on Siddhartha Deb, Das said he knew him personally and that the party would look into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Meanwhile, ABVP sources said the organization is preparing to approach the Superintendent of Police, North Tripura district, demanding a fair investigation into the alleged attack on Siddhartha Deb.
The twin incidents have raised concerns over growing factionalism within the ruling party in Dharmanagar. Local residents have urged the police to conduct an impartial investigation and ensure that those responsible, irrespective of political affiliation, are brought to justice.