Eyewitnesses say, bulldozers allegedly brought by the BJP workers brought down the statue of Lenin amid great cheer, chanting "Bharat Ki Jai".
Three people have been arrested in Tripura, after a series of incidents of violence over the last 48 hours. The Tripura police said on Tuesday, that it has received four complaints of violence from various parts of the state since last night.
"The cases include arson at two CPI(M) offices at Sidhai area in West Tripura district, 25 km from Agartala, and clashes between CPI(M) and BJP supporters at Kadamtala in North Tripura district", the Superintendent of Police (Control) Pradip De told Press Trust of India.
The CPI (M) tweeted, alleging workers of the Bhartiya Janata party were "spreading fear" in the state.
Attacks in #Tripura are now being coordinated in a centralized way by BJP-IPFT leadership. Left got 45% vote. BJP-IPFT wants to use their newly acquired power to smash that support base thru physical attacks, torching of offices, intimidation & bullying.#StandByTripuraLeftpic.twitter.com/dcXq1l2ow0
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) March 6, 2018
Tripura CPI(M) secretary, Haripada Das, alleged that over 240 people have been injured in attacks on party offices and offices of Left-backed trade unions; he claimed homes of leaders have also not been spared. Speaking to reporters, Mr Das said that supporters of the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) were terrorising Left workers and vandalising party offices since the announcement of poll results on March 3.
"Arson, attacks and loot were carried out in around 1,539 houses. Many rubber gardens, hundreds of small shops, were forcibly occupied, ransacked or burned at around 500 places," CPI-M state secretary and central committee member Bijan Dhar told reporters on Monday night. The party said it has "urged the administration and the BJP leadership to take adequate measures to stop these post-poll violence immediately,".
The BJP also claimed that the CPI(M) workers, too, have beaten up 49 of its supporters; 17 of whom had to be hospitalised. On a cautious note, the BJP has warned its leaders and supporters in Tripura of "stern" action if they indulged in "post-poll violence" in Tripura.
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The state Vice President of the party, Subal Bhowmick claimed, "A section of unidentified BJP supporters, who migrated from the CPI(M), were creating unrest in parts of the state". Mr Bhowmick has warned,"Anyone found to be involved in post-poll violence would be immediately expelled and legal action will be initiated against them."
The BJP has sent union ministers, Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram, as central observers who will be present at the meeting of the newly-elected lawmakers of BJP-IPFT alliance in Agartala. The BJP-IPFT coalition swept the Assembly elections in Tripura, winning 43 of the 59 seats.
