Protesting killing of a CPI (M) leader and party’s candidate for Zilla Parishad, Tripura Left Front Committee on Saturday evening called 12-hours Tripura Bandh on Sunday (July 12).

Ruling BJP opposed the shutdown while the opposition Congress supported it.

Addressing a press conference at CPI(M) headquarters on Saturday evening, Left Front convener Narayan Kar accompanied by leader of opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury and senior party leader Sudhan Das said that senior CPI(M) leader and party’s Belonia subdivisional committee member, Badal  Shil (51), who filed his nomination paper for three-tier Panchayat elections as CPI(M) candidate for Zilla Parishad on July 11(Thursday) at Rajnagar block in South Tripura district.

Narayan Kar alleged that Shil was critically injured in a deadly attack by ruling BJP backed miscreants on Friday evening near his house at Chottakhala Bazar of Rajnagar under South Tripura district with sharp cutting weapons on his head and neck.

Immediately, local people shifted him to the local primary health centre, and then shifted to Santir Bazar hospital and in the night referred to GB Hospital.

On Saturday morning, the doctors of GB Hospital led by Dr Siddha Reddy on emergency basis operated on him, but Badal Shil succumbed due to his critical head injuries at about 2.35 PM, said Kar.

"The Left Front urges all people of the state to protest this brutal act of murder committed by miscreants of BJP by supporting a 12-hour Tripura Bandh. I urge everyone to support the Bandh and demand that the state government take strict action against the culprits. Emergency services will be exempted from the purview of the bandh," he added.

More than a dozen Left party leaders and members were injured across the state in the BJP attacks after the Panchayat election schedule was announced on July 10.

CPI(M) Tripura state Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that the Left parties would not organize any picketing on Sunday in support of the state wide shut down and appealed to the people to spontaneously observe the dawn to dusk strike.

Congress Working Committee member and former Minister Sudip Roy Barman said that his party would support the Left Front sponsored shutdown on Sunday.

BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said that his party would strongly oppose the shut down as it would disturb the normal situation of the state ahead of the Panchayat elections.

Elections to the three-tier Gram Panchayats in Tripura will be held on August 8 and the votes will be counted on August 12.

Amidst sporadic incidents of political violence, candidates of various political parties are submitting their nominations in 370 seats in 606 Gram Panchayats, 423 seats in 35 Panchayat Samitis and 116 seats in eight Zilla Parishads.