Notices issued to two leaders for making communal remarks in Tripura

Agartala, Sep 15 (PTI) A Tipra Motha Party (TMP) block president and a leader of Amra Bangali, a political party, were served separate notices to appear before the West Agartala police station in Tripura for allegedly making communal remarks, an official said on Monday.

In a video, Gautam Buddha Debbarma, the TMP block president of Charilam in Sepahijala district, was heard saying: "Bengalis will have to flee from Bishramganj (in Sepahijala district) because it is not 1980, it is 2025. If Tripura or Agartala is owned by Amra Bangali, who is the owner of Bishramganj? If you can bring 200 people with sticks, we can also do the same thing with 500 people wielding swords." According to him, Bishramganj was donated by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Mankiya Debbarma to one Manik Debbarma, a resident of the locality, in 1928.

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

After the video went viral on social media on Saturday, a suo motu FIR was lodged against Debbarma on Sunday night, asking him to appear before police for making ‘communal remarks’, officer-in-charge of West Agartala police station Rana Chatterjee said.

"A specific case under section 196(a), 352, 353(V) of BNS was registered against Debbarma, and he has been asked to appear at the police station by Tuesday", he said.

On August 30, Amra Bangali leader Gauranga Rudrapaul staged a rally in Agartala and made a ‘provocative speech’ claiming Bengalis in Tripura are the sons of the soil and not the outsiders.

"A case against Rudrapaul was lodged under section 196(a), 352, 353(V) of BNS for making communal remarks hurting the sentiment of a particular community. A notice was issued to him asking to appear before the police station by Tuesday", the OC said.

He added, "We have started an investigation and will take legal action against the duo for their remarks". PTI PS MNB