Agartala: A couple of hours after the Chief Minister’s warning against the forceful collection of Durga puja subscriptions, a group of puja organisers in Bishalgarh under Sepahijala district on Wednesday assaulted two members of a family belonging to a minority community, demanding Rs 5 lakh.
A father and his son were allegedly beaten up by a group of youths of Routhkhala Yuba Sangstha on Wednesday as they did not agree to pay Rs 5 lakh as Durga Puja donation. While father was shifted to Tripura Medical College and son was referred to Agartala Govt Medical College in critical condition.
However, nobody has been arrested yet. A duty officer of the Bishalgarh police station said, "A specific case has been registered against eight people, and an investigation has been launched as per law. The law doesn’t permit arresting anybody immediately after the complaint unless it falls under the specific provisions of the IPC.”
The victims alleged that BJP Sepahijala District Yuba Morcha Secretary Saikat Saha had called them to the club over the phone. When they reached them, a group demanded a donation of Rs 5 lakh for Durgapuja. When they refused to pay, father and son were beaten up and allegedly threatened with a pistol. Later, after getting information from the locals, police rushed to the spot and rescued them.
A few hours before the incident, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha had directed police to take strict action against individuals found forcefully collecting Durga puja subscriptions after inaugurating the Fish Transshipment Yard at Nagicherra, on the southern outskirts of the city.
The CM said, “I feel very bad when I see people collecting puja subscriptions by forcibly stopping vehicles on the road. This activity is completely illegal. It's disheartening to see people using the pretext of puja to collect money. What kind of culture is this?”
"I have told the police that our government will not tolerate such actions and directed them to take strict measures. This has become a bad habit,” Dr Saha added. (UNI)