Fascist misrule of BJP crosses all limits, hotel vandalised in daylight, owners beaten up in Hapania

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 23, 2022

Despite pious but laughable platitudes mouthed occasionally by leaders, the ‘fascist misrule’ of BJP seems to be crossing all limits as evident from the naked daylight attack on and total vandalisation of popular ‘Nirmala’ hotel in Hapania area of Agartala and from severe assaults on two owners of the hotel Dipankar Das and Pranesh Banik who are lying in a serious condition in the ICU of Tripura Medical College (TMC). There has been no arrest, as usual, in connection with the attack even though a group of peace-loving police personnel visited the damaged hotel which stands next to the CPI (M) party office in Hapania and has a common wall.

According to authentic information made available by eye-witnesses from Hapania area, around 1-35 PM the leader of the opposition and former chief minister Manik Sarkar while en roué to South on car had stopped by for a short while in Hapania and sat for a while in front of the ‘Nirmala Hotel’ under an umbrella but was alone and silent. None of the two partnered owners of the hotel and marriage hall in the rear came out to greet or speak to him for fear of reprisal.

But within moments of Manik Sarkar’s departure a gang of 10/12 gems and pearls of BJP in the locality materialized on the spot on motor bikes and started breaking chairs, tables and umbrella covers in front of the hotel. A policeman on road duty who had come forward to see what was happening was soundly thrashed by the BJP criminal elements. The hotel owner Dipankar Das in the mean time had started downing the frontal shutter but was overpowered by the criminals who started beating him up severely and damaging two big freezes, furnitures and other precious items in front. A few criminals however consumed a large quantity of food stored in the two freezes before chasing Dipankar Das to the marriage hall in the rear of the hotel where he was given a fresh round of mauling and his partner Pranesh Banik was also severely beaten up. The employees of the hotel saved their lives by running away through the rear. Having reduced the hotel and the marriage hall to a virtual spot of destruction the BJP criminals went away by their motor bikes.

After the two injured owners Dipankar Das and Pranesh Banik had been shifted to TMC hospital by their family members and local people a group of police personal from Amtoli station, informed on phone by their thrashed colleague, arrived on the spot and innocuously inspected the site of the hotel and went back as quietly as they had come. Speaking from Hapania area an authentic source said that all the BJP criminals are locals and easily identifiable. The source also said that reason for the attack is still unknown and the condition of both Dipankar Das and his partner Pranesh Banik is still serious.