Court frames charge against Opposition MLA in Tripura

Agartala, Dec 7 (UNI) A court in North Tripura has framed charges against sitting Congress MLA Birajit Sinha along with four others of the party following prima-facie evidence of their involvement in a 2003 murder case official sources said here today.

The court had issued notice for recording statements of the witnesses in January, about a month before the Assembly elections, after initial investigation report sources aded..

Meanwhile, reacting to the development Mr Sinha said, ''The Left Front has hatched a political conspiracy against me and is trying to manipulate the facts to protect criminals.'' The legislator claimed that he was not involved in the incident and had good faith in the judiciary.

Elaborating on the incident, Mr Sinha said a group of miscreants had attacked him at Kailashahar in north Tripura on the eve of the Panchayat byelections in 2003 and one of his personal guards(PG) was killed in the incident.

He claimed that a miscreant had been shot dead in retaliatory fire from the service weapon of his security personnel but the state government accused him and his associates, including another guard.

''This proceeding has broken down the morale of the police because the PG had saved my life. However, was accused of murder instead of being rewarded getting reward,'' Mr Sinha claimed, adding that no PG would make any attempt to safeguard any VIP in future.

UNI