Agrtala, Nov 3: Tripura Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) State Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury has launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government following the assault on three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Sepahijala district's Boxanagar constituency, alleging that cross-border smuggling networks in the region operate under the direct patronage of the ruling party.
Addressing the media in Agartala, Chaudhury strongly condemned Monday's attack on troops of the 49th Battalion BSF at Ashabari village under Kalamchoura police station. Expressing solidarity with the injured jawans, he questioned how uniformed personnel deployed to guard the nation's borders could be "beaten like snakes" and held the state administration responsible for the breakdown of law and order.
"Why do such incidents recur every 15 to 20 days specifically in Sonamura and Kalamchoura despite Tripura sharing a long international border elsewhere?" Chaudhury asked. "It is because 99 out of 100 people involved in this smuggling trade are backed, sheltered, and blessed by the ruling party."
The CPI(M) leader alleged that police action against smugglers is reduced to a token exercise due to political interference. "Whenever the names of BJP karyakartas enter police records, phone calls go out from Agartala, Sonamura, and local MLAs. Suddenly, seized cannabis turns into lychee or taro leaves, gold turns into pieces of wood, and seized cash turns into blank paper," he remarked, adding that ordinary, law-abiding residents of the border belt are suffering because of the syndicate.
Chaudhury also dismissed Chief Minister Manik Saha's repeated assurances of "zero tolerance" and "stringent measures" as hollow rhetoric. Pointing to ongoing nomination filings in Kamalpur and Mohanpur, he alleged that ruling party workers were using bulldozers in broad daylight to block opposition candidates, calling the Chief Minister a "watchman of the graveyard of democracy."
The political row stems from a violent confrontation on Monday morning near Natun Bazar at Ashabari. Villagers had blocked the Ashabari–Rahimpur road to protest the alleged detention and assault of a local youth, Hefzur Rahman, during a BSF vegetation-clearing drive, which locals claimed left him with a fractured leg. When a BSF vehicle travelling from Rahimpur toward Boxanagar encountered the blockade, miscreants attacked the personnel with bamboo and sticks, vandalised the vehicle, and reportedly attempted to snatch their service weapons. Company Commander Rohit, driver Sunil Kumar, and jawan Manjit were injured and admitted to Tripura Medical College in Agartala.
Meanwhile, Sepahijala Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma stated on Tuesday that nine accused persons were arrested during an overnight operation and produced before the court. Chief Minister Saha has condemned the assault on social media and ordered strict legal action, while the BSF Inspector General visited the area and held a review meeting with district police officials. Counter-cases have been registered by both sides at Kalamchoura police station.
