BJP-RSS Attacks Livelihoods of the Peasantry and Houses of People
Cows and Livestock Killed, Rubber Plantations Burnt, Fish Tanks Poisoned
AIKS Vows to Combat Barbaric Attacks on People by BJP Goons in Tripura
AIKS notes with concern the barbaric attacks unleashed by the BJP-RSS goons in Tripura on the peasantry, activists of the Kisan Sabha and opposition parties. Soon after the state assembly election results started to reveal that the ruling BJP is recapturing state power on 2nd March 2023, all out attacks were unleashed upon the innumerable left supporters specially farmers, workers, small and middle traders and the general people. The degree of vicious atrocities was terrible. The goons of the ruling BJP dispensation at the clear instance of their masters are spreading terror. Apart from physical and mental torture they intensified attacks on sources of livelihood - such as poisoning fish ponds, setting fire to rubber plantations, uprooting seasonal vegetables from the fields, looting and arson in poultry farms, cattle including cows were burnt to death. Numerous houses have been fully burnt down. Shops were vandalised and set on fire. Homeless, helpless hundreds of people took shelter in nearby jungles or in the different mass and class organisation offices in the capital city Agartala.
Even the books of the children were not spared. During the time of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Examinations, the goons set their books on fire. Auto rickshaws and small vehicles were ordered to go off the roads; vehicles of those who defied were burnt. Extortion of money has increased manifold. Lakhs and lakhs of rupees are being collected from the left minded families by the local BJP mafias. Scheme workers are not allowed to join their duties. Even the MGNREGA and Tripura Urban Employment Scheme workers are being barred from their jobs. In the most inhuman manner even rations are being denied to people opposed to the BJP.
Opposition leaders and democratic sections urged upon the State Police and Administrative Chiefs to stop the attacks, but it has yielded no result. Leader of the CPI(M) in the Legislative Assembly and State CPI(M) Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury met the Chief Minister and requested to bring back rule of law in the State - but no action has yet been taken against the miscreants of the ruling party. The police are not registering FIRs and are refusing to make entry in the General Diary. Rather than take action on perpetrators of the crimes, the victims or complainants are being arrested on false cases.
Even a Fact-Finding Team comprising of different Members of Parliament which visited the State on 10th March which went to take a stock of the situation was attacked by the ruling BJP goons and not allowed to freely move in the affected areas. Their vehicles were attacked and damaged. The main cause of such fascistic attacks is the significant erosion of the support base, both in terms of number of seats and vote percentage, of the ruling BJP. More than 60 per cent of the voters voted against them. The ruling party got advantage as the opposition votes were divided by the regional Tipra Motha and TMC in one seat. Altogether in 24 seats the ruling BJP got the benefit and somehow bagged a marginal majority in the Assembly. This is the reason why the BJP is trying to leave no stone unturned to terrorise all democratic sections.
The attacks are in such a manner to totally destroy livelihoods and force people opposed to BJP into destitution and deny them basic dignity of life free of hunger, with proper shelters and opportunities to earn a decent living. It is estimated that during the last one month more than 7000 families have been affected by the attacks of BJP goons, among them the farming community, working class, shopkeepers, small and medium vehicles, scheme workers, activists of the Kisan Sabha and left oriented families have been severely targeted.
As of now reports as collected are shown below:
1. Five people have been killed Dilip Shukla Das in Teliamura, Rabindra Das and Sunil Das in Udaipur, Sibu Rani Laskar in Teliamura and Apu Acharya in Jirania
2. Physically attacked and injured: 630
3. Homestead houses totally gutted into ashes: 85; partially gutted: 65
4. Shops gutted: 95
5. Houses vandalised and looted: 1647
ATTACKS ON FARMERS
1. In more than 1000 acres 211 rubber gardens were burnt.
2. 286 vegetable gardens were destroyed in around 500 acres.
3. 60 fisheries were poisoned and fishes were destroyed.
4. Irrigation system was destroyed in many places.
5. Totally burnt -10 Cattle, Goats- 15, Ducks and Chicken – 50
6. Animals looted from 22 houses.
7. Not allowed to take ration - 216 families.
8. Number of small vehicles damaged – 42
AIKS will raise this with the National Human Rights Commission; a nation-wide Solidarity Campaign with the People of Tripura from 20th May to 30th May will be undertaken with leaders from Tripura also addressing meetings in States. We will exhibit the photo and video evidence of the attacks in villages across the country during this period to expose the barbarian character of the BJP-RSS. AIKS will make all efforts to politically expose and isolate the forces perpetrating violence and stifling democratic rights of the people. A team comprising of AIKS representatives as well as from broad cross-section of organisations, activists, eminent personalities will visit the State on a date decided by the Tripura Kisan Sabha. AIKS calls upon all democratic sections to rise up in solidarity with the people of Tripura.
