Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: Villagers swarmed former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Sunday, September 27. They blocked his car and waved black flags in his face. Sarkar served as chief minister from 1998 to 2018. He was headed to Kalibazar at noon to attend the Mohanpur divisional committee conference for the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the CPI(M).
The mob surrounded his vehicle and screamed for him to go back. Police and Central Reserve Police Force units rushed to the scene. Mohanpur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Asish Das Gupta confirmed his officers escorted the politician to the party office. Sarkar finished his speech and made it back to Agartala without further trouble.
Jitendra Chaudhury, the CPI(M) state secretary, blasted the disruption. He reached out to G S Rao, the director general of police in-charge, who promised to investigate the event. Chaudhury claimed the blockade was a calculated move to stop the party from meeting. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman piled on, blaming the BJP-led government for the state's crumbling safety. Barman accused local BJP leaders of organizing the protest and demanded arrests. He stated, "It reflected the law-and-order situation in the state under the BJP-led government."
Updated at 28th September 2026 at 1:47am
The confrontation turned ugly as reports emerged of protesters hurling stones and eggs at the convoy. CPI(M) officials claim one vehicle was damaged during the chaos, which lasted roughly 40 minutes before police cleared the area. Some locals at the scene tied the outburst to unresolved anger over the Rose Valley financial scam and the government's handling of 10,323 terminated state employees.
Sarkar later addressed the crowd, dismissing his attackers as misguided. "Those who tried to attack today are not our enemies," he said. "We will need to talk to them once the situation is under control." The incident unfolded just one day before the village council elections, with political tensions peaking across the state.
CPI(M) leadership pointed the finger at former BJP MLA Krishnadhan Das and the local mandal president, claiming they orchestrated the mob. While the party also accused police of failing to prevent the blockage despite prior knowledge, the CPI(M) condemned the move as a sign of a flailing, fascist-style government desperate to hide its shrinking base.
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