Tripura Police register suo motu cases, serve notices over communal remarks, speeches

Tripura Police have registered two suo motu cases against two political leaders, including a block president of the Tipra Motha, a coalition ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for allegedly making communal and inflammatory speeches and remarks, officials said on Monday.
West Agartala police station Officer In-charge (OC), Rana Chatterjee, said that they have served notices to Gautam Buddha Debbarma, Tipra-Motha block President of Charilam in Sepahijala district and Gauranga Rudrapaul, a leader of Amra Bangali, under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
"We have asked both the Tipra-Motha and Amra Bangali leaders to appear before the Investigating Officer as early as possible to submit their statements," Chatterjee told.
The suo-motu FIR registered by the police against Tipra-Motha leader Gautam Buddha Debbarma said that his recent statements and comments contain highly provocative and instigating declarations made in public forums and on social media.
"In the video, circulated in social media, the speaker, identified himself as Goutham Budha Debbarma (43) is heard making open declarations that no requisition or permission from the administration would be required, and further asserting that if 200 persons can be mobilised with lathis (bamboo sticks), they would be able to mobilise 500 persons," the FIR said.
It said that the statement of Debbarma further includes the remark that "this is not 1980 Tripura, this is 2025 Twiprasa (tribal era). No Bengali can stay in Bishramganj (in Sepahijala district)".
"The content of the speech is inflammatory in nature, capable of disturbing public order, creating communal tension, and instigating violence. Such circulation on social media has the potential to seriously affect peace and tranquility in the state," the FIR added.
Communal riot occurred in Tripura in 1980, claiming lives of a large number of people.
Tens of thousands of people were rendered homeless and forced into relief camps under deplorable conditions.
In another FIR, registered by the police, said that during a recent public programme organised in Agartala by Amra Bangali leader Gouranga Rudrapal, wherein hate speech with provocative communal slogans was delivered by him along with others.
Rudrapal and other chanted slogans such as "Agartala kaar, Amra Bangalir aar kaar" (whose city is Agartala? Of course, it belongs to Amara Bangali).
"The said slogan was subsequently repeated by Gouranga Rudrapal, and several unidentified leaders present at the programme. Such hate and provocative speech and slogan is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different communities living in the state of Tripura and likely to disturb public tranquility and may create ethnic problems," the FIR said.
It said that such offensive speech is likely to incite any person and cause him to break the public peace.
"Further such provocative speech is also likely to cause any class or community of person to commit any offence against any other community. The intention of the speakers was to disturb communal harmony by inciting hatred, enmity and provocation among different communities residing in Agartala and as whole in the state of Tripura. Such speeches and slogans are communal in nature, likely to create serious law and order problems, and therefore disclose commission of cognisable offences," the FIR added. These sensitive issues rocked Tripura for the past few days.
Meanwhile, the Tipra-Motha for the past few months has been agitating against the illegal infiltration into Tripura and demanded that all illegal migrants be deported to their respective countries.
A delegation of Tipra-Motha led by party supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma met the Election Commission of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister and BJP President J.P. Nadda in New Delhi in July and August and demanded to undertake the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Tripura similar to the procedure being adopted in Bihar.
The Tipra-Motha held a demonstration in New Delhi on September 9 in support of their three-point demands, including the implementation of the tripartite accord, signed in March last year and deportation of illegal migrants from Tripura.