People's Democracy

Tripura

Congress Conspiracy to Disrupt Peace

From N S Arjun

 in Agartala

WITH the polling for Tripura assembly election over a week away, there is a sense of apprehension among the people about the violent conspiracies of Congress and its extremist-linked ally INPT to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the state. These apprehensions have been further stoked with the recent incident involving Sandeep Roy Barman, brother of Tripura PCC chief Sudeep Roy Barman.

Sandeep Roy Barman owns a brick kiln factory in Champak Nagar. On January 28, on a tip-off, a team of central paramilitary force, Assam Rifles, raided the factory. After searching with the help of sniffer dogs, they found a foreign-made automatic pistol, 8 live cartridges, letterheads of banned extremist organisation NLFT (National Liberation Front of Tripura) and Bangladeshi currency of 5000 taka. They arrested the owner Sandeep Roy Barman and two employees in the brick kiln and handed them over to the nearby Jhilaria police.

The PCC chief immediately held a press conference and claimed that his brother is innocent and that he has been falsely implicated by the CPI(M), conveniently forgetting the fact that it was the central forces that discovered the arms and ammunition. The Congress workers held a dharna in front of Jhilaria PS demanding release of Sandeep Roy Barman. They even tried to storm into the residence of CM in Agartala on this demand. Chief minister Manik Sarkar reacted to this development saying that the Congress has been caught red-handed and its conspiracy is now out in the open. If Sandeep Roy Barman is not involved in politics, then why are the Congressmen agitating for his release, the CM  questioned.

More than the capture of pistol, ammunition and NLFT letterheads, it is the persons involved that has sparked off apprehensions among people of the state. PCC chief Sudeep Roy Barman and his brother Sandeep Roy Barman are sons of Samir Ranjan Barman who was the home minister of Tripura in the Congress-TUJS regime that unleashed semi-fascist terror during 1988-92 period. He later became chief minister for one year between 1991-92. Over 350 comrades and hundreds of others were killed in that period. Samir Ranjan Barman is now contesting the election as Congress candidate from Bishalgarh. News about involvement of this 'experienced' family in violent conspiracies is naturally unnerving most people and security forces.

Another arrest in June last year also threw light on the Congress conspiracy to strengthen and activise the extremist elements before the assembly polls who are camping across the border in Bangladesh. Dhanu Koloi, a surrendered extremist of NLFT, was caught by  state police near Khumulwung, the ADC headquarters, with cash of Rs 25 lakhs. On interrogation, he revealed that he was given that money in MLA Hostel No. 1 in Agartala, allotted for the MLAs of Congress and INPT. He revealed that the money was given to him in presence of Debabrata Koloi, a leader of the ST department of PCC to hand it over to extremists in Bangladesh. PCC chief Sudeep Roy Barman also stays in the same MLA Hostel. Kholai also revealed that he had made two trips earlier and handed over Rs 50 lakhs to the extremists. Another person Dolphin Kholai was arrested in Mandai town when he was trying to recruit tribals to cross the border for extremist training. Both are in jail under TADA.

CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar told People's Democracy that the Congress realises that as long as the unity between tribals and non-tribals is intact, it is very difficult to dislodge the Left Front. That is why it is always involved in conspiracies to break that unity by resorting to violence. But the situation on the ground is such that the extremists are totally isolated from the people and they are finding it difficult to recruit youth. Dhar charged the Congress of having links with extremists either directly or through its ally INPT. He said it is clear from the past record that for the sake of power and to topple the Left Front, the Congress can do anything. Therefore the people and the Left Front cadre are alert to defeat any such conspiracies, he said.