Violence in Fatikroy over collection of donations; Congress alleges attempts to give the incident a communal colour.

The Tripura Pradesh Congress has strongly condemned the recent incidents of violence and arson in the Fatikroy Assembly constituency under Kumarghat subdivision. Party spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty alleged that members of a particular minority community were primarily targeted in the violence.

According to Prabir Chakraborty, the incident originated over the collection of donations for a local religious programme. When a poor carpenter, Mosabbir Ali, was asked to pay a fixed amount as donation, he expressed his financial inability and offered to contribute according to his capacity. However, when a volunteer of the organising committee refused to accept this, an argument broke out and the situation quickly escalated.

The Congress spokesperson alleged that the incident was given a communal colour, following which an unruly mob went on a rampage in the area. The houses of Mosabbir Ali, Liakat Ali, and their neighbours were vandalised. He further alleged that attempts were also made to set fire to a religious structure belonging to the minority community.

Prabir Chakraborty described such attacks as a “well-planned conspiracy to establish fascist rule” in the state.

Meanwhile, he also launched a sharp attack on the state BJP over the MGNREGA scheme. He alleged that in two consecutive press conferences held recently at the BJP state office and the Secretariat, only partial aspects of the law were highlighted while the core issues were deliberately concealed.

Prabir Chakraborty stated that although the MGNREGA scheme provides a legal guarantee of employment, the alternative arrangement introduced in its place has failed to meet the employment needs of the common people. He also claimed that allocations for MGNREGA have been consistently reduced since the BJP government came to power.