Tripura: 134 Congress workers detained for taking out rally without nod, claim police assaulted them

The rally was meant to spread the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress said. Police have denied the allegations of lathi-charge.

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The rally, which was denied permission, came up against a police barricade at Gandhi statue close to Agartala Circuit House. (Photo: Twitter/@smrutirlenka)

More than a 100 Congress activists and leaders were detained in Agartala Tuesday afternoon for taking out a rally without permission to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi.

The Congress claimed their workers were manhandled and lathi-charged, an allegation the police have denied.
The rally, which was denied permission, came up against a police barricade at Gandhi statue close to Agartala Circuit House. As many as 134 people, including senior leaders Gopal Chandra Roy and Subal Bhowmik, were detained and taken to Arundhatingar Police Line. They were allowed to go three hours later.

Youth Congress national secretary Dr Smruti Ranjan Lenka told a press conference Tuesday evening that the event was aimed at “spreading Gandhi’s ideology among the youth”.

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“We held a rally to spread the lessons of Mahatma Gandhi. It was Gandhi Vichar Sandesh Padyatra, no protest against anyone. But the police lathi-charged and tortured us,” Lenka said.

The rally was also supposed to witness the oath-taking of some Congress frontal wing executives recently appointed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

West Agartala Police Station Officer in-charge Subrata Chakraborty denied the allegations of lathi charge, and said the police only ensured the mob was dispersed.

“They took out the rally without permission. So we detained them. We detained 134 activists in total, including leaders. They were released later,” Chakraborty said.

Parichay Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Patna East), who reached the spot, said: "We have been talking to the driver of Rajkumar Yadav. Prima facie, it looks to be a case of land dispute and money transactions."

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