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‘Token protest’: BJP workers vandalise TMC office in Agartala over assault on party leaders in Bengal

A five-member TMC delegation from Bengal to visit the state Wednesday

BJP MLAs Khagen Murmu and Shankar Ghosh came under attack allegedly from Trinamool Congress supporters at Jalpaiguri in Bengal

Written by: Debraj Deb

4 min readAgartalaOct 8, 2025 03:03 AM IST First published on: Oct 7, 2025 at 10:42 PM IST

Tensions flared outside the Trinamool Congress state headquarters in Agartala on Tuesday evening after a group of BJP supporters removed TMC flags, flex banners and other campaign material and left them in front of the office. Party sources said the action was staged as a “token protest” against the assault on BJP MP Khagen Murmu and party MLA Shankar Ghosh in Jalpaiguri, a day earlier.

The BJP leaders were injured after a mob attacked them during their visit to the landslide-affected people.

The incident sparked a political controversy between All India Trinamool Congress and BJP, with the former accusing the latter of “provoking violence in states where they hold power” and the BJP refuting the allegation, stating the protest was to register a “strong objection” to the attack on the two BJP legislators.

In a related development, the TMC announced that a five-member delegation from Bengal would visit Tripura on Wednesday to assess the situation. All India Trinamool Congress leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee condemned the act and accused the BJP of trying to provoke violence in states where it holds power.

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“Unable to defeat the Trinamool Congress at the ballot box in Bengal, BJP has unleashed its full machinery to provoke violence in states where they hold power. Their workers attacked and ransacked our party office in Tripura, under the watchful eyes of the Tripura Police, laying bare their vindictive and lawless mindset,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee claimed that the Tripura incident was not isolated and alleged that TMC workers in the state have faced repeated assaults. “This is not an isolated incident; in Tripura alone, our leaders and workers have faced repeated assaults. In 2021, my convoy in Tripura was vandalised by BJP-hired goons. They wax eloquent about upholding democracy, yet their actions flagrantly violate its very principles,” he said.

Banerjee also said that in the wake of this “grave attack”, a five-member delegation from Bengal would visit Tripura tomorrow to assess the situation and “stand in full solidarity with colleagues and co-workers, and raise the matter officially with the state administration.”

“Intimidation, violence, and vendettas will never silence us. Democracy, law and the people’s mandate will always prevail over BJP’s brute politics,” Banerjee added.

Party sources said the delegation will include Pratima Mondal, Saayoni Ghosh, Birbaha Hansda, Kunal Ghosh, Sudip Raha and Sushmita Dev.

The team is scheduled to land at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala on Wednesday and will visit the party office, according to sources.

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Meanwhile, BJP Tripura spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said his party organised the protest to register its “strong objection” to the attack on the two BJP legislators in Jalpaiguri, where the MLAs had gone to distribute flood relief.

He denied any damage was caused inside the TMC office and described the action as a public display of protest.

“We haven’t entered the TMC party office, we haven’t damaged a single thing in their office. We have simply pulled out their flags and flex banners in front of the party office as a token protest. We admit we did it and it is our protest. TMC is habituated to the culture of violence all along. Allegations of violence don’t sound good in their voices,” he told The Indian Express.

Asked about the TMC delegation, Bhattacharya said any political party was welcome to visit Tripura but suggested they “carry a photograph of the injured BJP MLA Khagen Murmu as a reminder of the violence the BJP alleges occurred in Jalpaiguri.”

West Tripura Sadar BJP president Ashim Bhattacharya, who led the rally, said people in Bengal were waiting to throw out the Mamata Banerjee government in the 2026 assembly elections and accused the TMC of resorting to violence as its support wanes.

He alleged the TMC had been unleashing attacks on BJP supporters in Bengal.