Agartala, Nov 8 (UNI) Police arrested seven persons including BJP party functionaries last

night from Rajarbag area of Udaipur in Gomati district in connection burning down and

snatching away about 52 bundles of yesterday’s edition of popular vernacular daily

Pratibadi Kalam at the bus stand in the morning.

Based on the FIR lodged by the editor of the newspaper against 11 miscreants, police

had conducted investigation into the allegation and after prima facie was established prime

accused in the case local BJP leader Raju Majumdar along with Swapan Mandal, Bimal

Deb, Pradip Majumdar, Subal Chandra Majumdar, Tinku Saha and Shishu Mian.

Police said all other FIR named persons would be arrested soon and police is also

looking at other angles of the incident.

A senior police officer of Gomati district police stated that there was no apparent reason

to snatch away the newspaper and set them on fire but police is trying to find out the

indulgence behind.

Meanwhile, the apex body of Tripura media Assembly of Journalists (AoJ) threatened to

launch statewide movement seeking assurance of the government for safety and security

of media. The attack on media and journalists has taken the worst turn following open threat

to media by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on September 11 last.

As many as 10 journalists have been attacked and public circulation of all leading dailies

was disrupted when those newspapers have started writing on the failure of Chief Minister

Deb and criticised the misdoing of BJP-IPFT government, alleged AoJ Chairman Subal

Kumar Dey adding that none of the cases police took any action.

“We requested CM to withdraw his warning to media but he didn’t. As a result, all the

criminals and miscreants of political parties encouraged and started attacking journalists,

media institutions and burning down newspapers. There is no democracy and freedom of

expression in Tripura under Biplab Deb’s rule,” Dey added.

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