Agartala, October 18, 2024: Amid rising public outrage over recent killings in Tripura, opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury delivered a scathing attack on the BJP, IPFT and Tipra Motha coalition government.
Speaking at Kaladhepa, Manubazar under South Tripura district after visiting the family of Badal Tripura, who died after alleged police brutality, Chaudhury said, “This year’s Durga Puja is the best gift of the coalition government—a state where traders are murdered in the capital city’s fairground, and ordinary citizens like Badal Tripura are tortured to death in police custody.”
Badal Tripura was taken into custody on October 13 by officers from the Manubazar police station, accused of stealing rubber materials from a garden. According to Chowdhury, Badal was “brutally beaten” while in custody and released the next day in critical condition. “Despite his deteriorating health, no advanced treatment was provided. Where is the Chief Minister’s Health Yojana project card? Where is the Ayushman card?” Chowdhury questioned, emphasizing the government’s negligence.
After days of struggling for his life in the district hospital, Badal died on October 16. When protests erupted in front of the police station, demanding justice, local leaders allegedly pressured the demonstrators to stand down. “Why is this happening in Tripura today? Because Amitabh Ranjan, the current DG is merely a pawn of the government. Honest officers are being sidelined,” Chaudhury claimed.
Chaudhury demanded a fair investigation and strict punishment for the five policemen arrested in connection with the case. “The people of this state will not tolerate such inhumanity. The police are paid by the people, not by this corrupt government,” he declared, calling for immediate justice and support for Badal’s family, including education for his three daughters and employment for the household.