GUWAHATI: A Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha worker in election-bound Tripura died after being attacked by a group of people.
The incident occurred in the Dhalai district on Wednesday evening. The police arrested four persons named in an FIR lodged by the family of the deceased.
Pranajit Namasudra (44), was returning home in a car along with his friend when the assailants intercepted it, dragged him out and beat him up, leaving him grievously injured.
Later, the police rushed him to a local hospital but the doctors there referred him to another hospital. When he was taken there at around 11:30 pm, the doctors declared him brought dead.
The police said the incident had nothing to do with politics. They said the family of the deceased did not link the murder to politics in the FIR.
“The murder is purely of non-political nature. It is relating to payments. Some people had demanded money from the deceased earlier and two-three cases were registered,” Dhalai Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chandra Yadav told this newspaper on Thursday.
He said there was a fight in which Namasudra died.
“The family named six persons in the FIR. While four were arrested, two are absconding. Hopefully, we will arrest them by today,” he added.
TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Manikya Debbarma appealed to the workers and supporters of the party to maintain peace and calm.
“Please don’t react or do anything. I am personally verifying what has happened! Last thing we need is violence in the build up to the election,” he tweeted.
Tripura elections will take place from February 27 onwards.
The state has 60 seats, 20 of them in tribal areas where the tribe-based TIPRA Motha holds sway. Another tribe-based party Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, which rules the state along with the BJP, is likely to merge with the TIPRA Motha to avoid the division of tribal votes.