Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Asish Kumar Saha announced on Wednesday that the party will demand the resignation of Chief Minister Manik Saha, who holds the home portfolio, if the state’s deteriorating law and order situation does not improve. Speaking at a press conference in Agartala, Saha alleged a surge in crimes, including murder, rape, drug abuse, and mafia activities, stating, “The people are horrified and frustrated by complete lawlessness.” He pointed to internal conflicts among the ruling BJP-led coalition, including BJP, IPFT, and Tipra Motha, as exacerbating the crisis.

Saha highlighted specific incidents, such as the July 28 arson attack on the Congress office in South Tripura’s Harina, where miscreants set the newly reopened office ablaze, with no arrests despite an FIR. He also claimed Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy faced harassment during a public outreach program in his Banamalipur constituency. Saha noted that even Assembly Speaker Biswabandhu Sen and some BJP MLAs have criticized the government’s handling of law and order. A June 28 letter from TPCC to CM Saha and DGP Amitabh Ranjan, warning of rising crime, went unheeded, he added.

The BJP government’s formation of a Special Task Force (STF) on July 29 to tackle organized crime, extremism, and drug cases was cited by Saha as validation of Congress’s concerns. “We will monitor the STF’s effectiveness, but if the CM fails to restore order, we will launch statewide protests and demand his resignation as home minister,” he warned. This follows TPCC’s October 2024 demand for Saha’s resignation over incidents like the July 12 Gandacherra violence, which displaced 165 families, and the October 6 Kadamtala communal clash, public frustration with rising political violence and police inaction.

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