Protests Erupt Against Nightclub Near Rabindra Centenary Bhavan in Agartala

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 8, 2025

Strong protests have broken out over the state government’s decision to allow a nightclub to operate adjacent to the Rabindra Centenary Bhavan, a renowned cultural landmark in the capital city. Opposition Leader Jitendra Chaudhury, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President Asish Saha, and members of the Tripura Cultural Coordination Centre have strongly condemned the move, terming it an attack on the state’s cultural values and traditions.

The nightclub project has reportedly been handed over to Oval Private Limited, a company primarily engaged in ONGC-related work, owned by Gautam Debnath of Dhaleswar, Agartala. Critics allege that setting up a nightclub next to the cultural hub will destroy whatever remains of Tripura’s healthy cultural environment.

Calling on the people of Tripura to rise in protest, Opposition Leader Jitendra Chaudhury said, they chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Shri Ram, but in reality, their mindset is anti-culture and anti-civilization. Their leadership is only interested in looting the state. In the last seven and a half years, the BJP-led government has failed to promote education and culture, and instead, it has only encouraged liquor shops across the state, Jitendra Chowdhury alleged.

Congress President Asish Kumar Saha also demanded that the nightclub be shifted immediately from the Rabindra Bhavan premises. He stated, no one demanded such a nightclub of indulgence at the Rabindra Centenary Bhavan complex. The government speaks of a drug-free Tripura, yet is allowing such decadent culture to thrive. We demand an immediate halt to this project, Asish Kumar Saha said.

The Tripura Cultural Coordination Centre echoed these sentiments in a statement, declaring that opening a nightclub in the historic Rabindra Bhavan area is nothing less than cultural destruction. They said, when a man dies, a corpse remains. When heritage and culture die, a tradition emerges. Today, this new tradition in Tripura is being named as ‘Happiest Hour’, a new shrine of indulgence called the nightclub. If there is any respect left for Agartala’s history and traditions, such a decision could not have been made. We strongly oppose this move,” the statement read.

The organisation warned that the move reflects government-backed support for commercial ventures on public cultural grounds. They further stated that Tripura’s culture-loving citizens will never accept such a plan.

Both the opposition leader Jitendra Chowdhury, Congress President Asish Kumar Saha and the Cultural Coordination Centre have threatened to launch a state-wide movement if the nightclub is not relocated.

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