TMC leader Saayoni Ghosh arrested in Tripura; party MPs on way to Delhi to meet Amit Shah

The Tripura police on Sunday arrested West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Saayoni Ghosh on attempt to murder charges. She has been booked under Sections 307 and 153 of IPC, media reports said.

Taking stern notice of the arrest, the TMC has dispatched a delegation of its Members of Parliament to New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah tonight. The delegation consists of more than 15 MPs, party sources said.

“Gujarat model in Tripura. AITC will never accept such fascist brutality. Trinamool MPs headed to Delhi. Now. Eyeball to eyeball,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien tweeted. He said that the MPs will sit on dharna from Monday morning.

A BJP worker had given a complaint to the police that Saayoni Ghosh allegedly tried to mow down BJP workers at a public meeting on Saturday.

Ghosh, the youth unit secretary of TMC West Bengal, was detained a day before a planned visit by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after being called in for questioning in a police station.

According to the complaint, when a street corner gathering was being addressed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday night, Ghosh reached there and shouted "Khela hobey” (game will happen).

"Khela hobey" is a slogan used by the TMC during the assembly election in West Bengal held in March-April this year.

TMC leaders alleged that their workers were also roughed up by BJP supporters outside the East Agartala Women's police station, a charge denied by the ruling BJP.

Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet accused the BJP government in Tripura of disregarding Supreme Court orders on the rights of political parties to hold peaceful programmes.

"Biplab Deb has become so unabashedly brazen that now even Supreme Court orders doesn't seem to bother him…He has repeatedly sent goons to attack our supporters & our female candidates instead of ensuring their safety! Democracy being mocked under @BJP4Tripura," Abhishek Banerjee said in a Tweet, attaching a video of the alleged attack of Sunday morning.

The Supreme Court recently directed Tripura police to ensure that no political party is prevented from exercising their rights in accordance with the law for campaigning in a peaceful manner.

Police said some unidentified miscreants attacked a group of people who gathered near the police station during the questioning of Ghosh, but no one was injured.

The TMC is contesting the Tripura civic polls to be held on November 25. The ruling BJP has already won 112 out of 334 seats uncontested across 20 urban local bodies including Agartala Municipal Corporation. This will be the first civic election that the BJP will face after coming to power in 2018.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party is trying to gain a foothold in the state ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

TMC West Bengal secretary Kunal Ghosh said if this is what is democracy in Tripura, "we would recommend to our leaders to do the same thing (to the BJP) in West Bengal.

Tripura BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya denied the allegation, saying the saffron party workers did not ever attack anyone of the TMC as the party does not consider it as a political opponent to reckon with.

A delegation of TMC MPs will reach Delhi on Sunday night to meet Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of alleged police brutality in Tripura, party sources said.

(With agencies inputs)