Tripura: Tension following clash in CPM faction

Agartala, Mar 9: A violent mob allegedly supporters of defeated lone women minister of fifth Left Front government Bijoy Laxmi Sinha stormed the house of former secretary of Kamalpur, Divisional Committee in Dhalai district of Tripura yesterday.

The incident was followed by a clash between two factions of the party workers in Kamalpur last evening in which an assistant sub-inspector of police Dibendyo Chakraborty had sustained serious injuries and was shifted to Agartala Govt Medical College hospital at night.

The CPI(M) state committee condemned the incident and ordered party level inquiry into it, said party spokesperson Goutam Das here today and added that the party had also asked the administration to maintain peace in the area.

Police said a group of people yesterday stormed the house of CPI(M) leader Ranjit Ghosh and destroyed a good number of valuables alleging that Mr Ghosh was responsible for the defeat of Bijoy Laxmi Sinha.

Allegedly, Mr Ghosh and Mrs Sinha had a strained relation. Former health minister Bimal Sinha and his younger brother Bidyut had been killed by banned ATTF militants in 1998 and the Sinha family believed that Mr Ghosh was involved in the assassination.

However, Mrs Sinha in Kamalpur was defeated by 135 votes in this election, which irked her followers and they had attacked Mr Ghosh's house. Police registered a case but none was arrested so far in this connection.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in outgoing assembly Ratan Lal Nath alleged that Left Front supporters were carrying out atrocities on the Congress workers after announcement of the election results on March 7 last.

UNI