Women’s Safety in Agartala Under Scrutiny After 5 Young Women Allege Harassment Near Banamalipur Flowers Club, Victims Allege Police Inaction Despite Video Evidence

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 20, 2026

Women’s safety in Tripura’s capital has come under renewed scrutiny following allegations that five young women, including a young woman lawyer, were harassed near Banamalipur Flowers Club in Agartala at around 2 AM on Monday night while they were out to visit Durga Puja pandals. The women reportedly had to visit two police stations before submitting a written complaint, raising serious questions about the police response to an incident that allegedly took place on a public road during the festive season.

According to the allegations made by the five young women, the accused youth openly followed them on the streets at night and took photographs of them on his mobile phone. The five women reportedly took possession of the youth’s mobile phone and showed it to the police as evidence.

However, they alleged that the police at East Agartala Police Station refused to register their complaint despite being shown the picture of phone.

They alleged that a young man harassed them in public, took their pictures in mobile and prompting them to record the incident on their mobile phones. The five women claimed that they had preserved video footage of the incident and sought police intervention, expecting immediate assistance and appropriate action against the alleged offender.

The complainants further alleged that a police personnel was passing by on a bicycle while the incident was taking place. They claimed that they shouted to attract his attention and seek help, but the policeman allegedly continued riding away without stopping. The women have questioned why immediate assistance was not provided despite their efforts to alert the police.

According to their account, the women subsequently approached East Agartala Police Station to lodge a complaint. However, instead of registering their complaint there, the police personnel allegedly advised them to approach the Women’s Police Station. The complainants said they were directed to the other police station at night around 2 AM, despite having video footage that they believed supported their allegations.

The five women further alleged that when they reached the Women’s Police Station, the police advised them to submit a written complaint rather than taking immediate action against the person accused of harassment. Feeling dissatisfied with the response, they eventually submitted a written complaint. The precise details of the complaint, the identity of the accused and the subsequent action taken by the police were not independently established at the time of writing this report.

The handling of the complaint has become a central concern for the women, who have questioned why they had to move from one police station to another in the middle of the night to seek justice. They have also raised questions about why East Agartala Police Station allegedly did not take immediate steps after they presented the video footage and sought intervention.

A key issue raised by the complainants concerns the procedure for dealing with a complaint about an alleged offence occurring within the jurisdiction of another police station. Under the applicable new criminal procedure, information about a cognizable offence may be recorded at a police station irrespective of the area where the offence occurred, commonly referred to as the Zero FIR mechanism, before being transferred to the appropriate police station for further investigation. Whether this procedure applied to the specific allegations and how the police handled the complaint would need to be examined in light of the facts and applicable law.

The incident has also raised broader questions about police responsiveness during the Durga Puja festivities, when large numbers of people, including women and young people, visit public roads and Puja pandals late into the night. While police deployment and traffic management are important aspects of festive security, the ability of women to seek immediate assistance when facing alleged harassment is equally significant.

The complainants have questioned where the police were when the alleged incident was taking place on a busy public road and why, according to their account, their appeal for help did not result in immediate intervention. They have also called attention to the difficulties they say they faced while trying to register their complaint and obtain a response from the police station authorities.

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