Congress workers held on Feb 26 after clashes in Tripura granted bail

Seven of the eight Congress workers who were arrested under the Explosive Substances Act on February 26, were released on bail by a West Tripura court here on Tuesday.

Agartala:Seven of the eight Congress workers who were arrested under the Explosive Substances Act on February 26, were released on bail by a West Tripura court here on Tuesday. One of the arrested, Shahjahan Islam, however, could not walk out of jail as a separate case was pending against him.

Violence had erupted in the city on February 26 when a group of unknown miscreants attacked a programme of the Congress in Kamarpokurpar area. Agitated Congress activists then went on the rampage, vandalising a BJP mandal office at Banamalipur, the home constituency of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. Petrol bombs were apparently hurled by the grand old party workers amid the clashes.

Later that evening, the Congress headquarters in the state came under attack, allegedly by BJP supporters. Eight Congress activists, including two women, were subsequently arrested. They were produced before a local court, which sent them to judicial custody. The state Congress unit then moved a bail plea before additional district and sessions court.

Harekrishna Bhowmik, who represented the accused in the court, said bail was granted to all eight Congress activists on Tuesday. One of them, however, would remain in jail as a separate case was pending against him, Bhowmik said. Responding to the development, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Birajit Sinha said the police never acted on the complaints filed by his party.

PTI