The Tripura High Court on Tuesday upheld the West Tripura District Magistrates order banning any kind of public rally by any political party in two areas under the Sadar Police Sub-Division till November 4.
Earlier, the BJP government twice denied permission to the Trinamool Congress to hold a mega rally led by the party’s national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Agartala.
Following the court ruling, Trinamool leader and West Bengal MP Santanu Sen said that they are yet to get Tuesday’s court order and the party would go forward with the legal matter in a legal way.
“The BJP government fears the Trinamool and Abhishek Banerjee a lot. The people of Tripura are with the party whole-heartedly despite the BJP government’s conspiracies against Trinamool Congress,” he told reporters.
Sen, accompanied by Trinamool leaders Sushmita Dev and Subal Bhowmik, said that the party’s next course of action after Tuesday’s development would be announced soon.
West Tripura’s acting District Magistrate (DM) and Collector Rajib Datta in his order on Monday said that he is satisfied that allowing any kind of meeting, procession, public gathering by any political party at present may deteriorate the law and order situation in the areas under the East Agartala and West Agartala police stations and the situation may worsen if not controlled right now.
Following a petition by Bhowmik, Tripura High Court Judge Arindam Lodh upheld the DM’s order on Tuesday.
Bhowmik had earlier sought direction to the police to allow the Trinamool to hold the mega rally led by Banerjee in Agartala on Wednesday.
Bhowmik, Sen and Dev vehemently criticized the BJP government for not allowing the ‘peaceful’ rally though the other parties, including the BJP, had recently organized political processions in the state.
The Tripura police last week twice disallowed the mega rally planned by the Trinamool, first on September 15 and then on September 16.
Congress-turned-Trinamool leader Sushmita Dev said on Tuesday that on September 8, large-scale political violence was perpetrated across the state in which media offices were also attacked, but no one has been arrested so far despite photographs and videos showing the attackers appearing on social media.
“We wanted to organize a peaceful rally in Agartala. But the government did not give us permission. We have also the responsibility to abide by the law just as the government has the duty to enforce the law,” Dev said.