Tripura Congress Leader Sudip Roy Barman Attacked in Agartala, Party Blames BJP

Sudip Roy Barman was hospitalised following the attack

(Photo: The Quint)

Sudip Roy Barman, Congress leader and the former Tripura Health Minister, was severely injured in an attack by unknown assailants at Ujan Abhoynagar early on Monday, 20 June. The leader has been hospitalised for treatment.

Barman, the Congress candidate in the upcoming by-elections for the Agartala constituency, went to the area after hearing about an assault on Congress supporter Bapi Goswami, according to The Hindu.

The attackers also vandalised Barman's car.

The Congress party has accused the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of the attack.

Sudip Roy had resigned as an MLA post and quit the BJP earlier this year and later joined the Congress.

Congress Blames BJP

Tripura Congress lashed out at the Bhartiya Janata Party for the attacks. "Shame BJP Shame," the party tweeted. It said that the leader was attacked by the BJP goons.

"Having lost ground for four and a half years now, the only thing the "dictatorial BJP government" can resort to is political violence and terrorism," the party wrote in its tweet.

National Secretary of the INC, Szarita Laitphlang, termed the attack as "a proof of BJP's cowardice."

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, wrote in his tweet, "I strongly condemn the deliberate violence against senior Tripura leader, my colleague and former Union Minister Sudip Roy Burman ji and demand the immediate arrest of the culprit - who is also a BJP member."

Earlier, in May this year, the personal security officer (PSO) and driver of Barman were beaten up by a gang of miscreants. The Tripura Pradesh Congress had claimed that the attack was carried out by BJP-backed 'bike bahini' (biker gangs).