Opposition puts pressure on ruling BJP in poll-bound Tripura over gang-rape cases

Two alleged gang-rapes in poll-bound Tripura recently has stirred a political storm against ruling BJP with the Opposition parties intensifying demand for arrest of a cabinet minister's son alleging his involvement in the one of the crimes.

The Opposition CPI(M), Congress, and Trinamool Congress have already taken to the streets alleging that son of labour minister Bhagawan Das was involved in the gang-rape of a minor girl in Unakoti district on the night of October 19. The BJP has rejected such allegations saying that the minister's son was in the state capital on the day of the incident and the Opposition parties were trying to malign the ruling party ahead of Assembly elections early next year.

Police have arrested six persons in connection with the incident and have said that an investigation is underway. However, the Opposition parties alleged that police were not arresting the minister's son due to pressure from the government. Police said the 16-year-old girl was lured by another girl and was taken to her friend's rented house on October 19, where a party was going on. She was subsequently gang-raped. Police sources said the name of the minister's son is not in the FIR lodged by the victim's family.

Senior CPI(M) leader and former MP Jitendra Choudhury made the allegation in a press conference at Agartala two days after the incident, demanding the immediate arrest of the minister's son. The Congress and TMC subsequently lashed out at the government and alleged that the law and order situation in the state was fast deteriorating ahead of the elections. Another alleged gang-rape on October 25 in Khowai district and two more alleged rape cases in and around Agartala provided more ammunition to the Opposition parties to mount pressure on the government.

They also targeted Chief Minister Manik Saha, alleging that the government had failed to uphold law and order under his tenure. "BJP replaced Biplab Kumar Deb with Manik Saha with a promise to streamline the law and order situation but nothing better has happened. People are looking very closely on how the government is not taking steps against BJP workers involved in heinous crimes like rape," Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman told reporters at Agartala recently.

Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev, who staged a protest along with party workers, alleged that crime against women has gone up in Tripura since BJP came to power in 2018 and a sense of lawlessness was prevailing in the state.

The BJP, however, claimed that the law and order situation in the state was better compared to the scenario before 2018. "I will soon present the statistics of crimes before 2018 and after we came to power," minister Sushanta Choudhury told reporters on Friday.

Before the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP had attacked the CPI(M) government in Tripura over the poor law and order situation. The saffron party subsequently won the elections and formed its first government in the state.