Tripura Congress President Pijush Biswas claimed BJP supporters were behind the attack
Tripura Congress chief Pijush Biswas suffered minor injuries after his vehicle was attacked Sunday morning. Mr Biswas, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment, alleged the attack was carried out by supporters of the ruling BJP and took place despite police presence.
According to Mr Biswas, who spoke to NDTV via phone, the attack took place outside the Congress' field office in Bishalgarh, which is around 20 km from state capital Agartala. Mr Biswas had travelled there to attend a party meeting.
Dramatic visuals showed the car with the front windshield cracked and shattered in places, shards of broken glass lying on the front passenger seat. According to reports a number of Congress workers were also injured in the incident, as was a policeman who tried to intervene.
Mr Biswas told NDTV he had filed a FIR (first information report) with the police, who are investigating the incident but haven't yet ascribed a political motive to the attack.
Tripura Congress has called for a 12-hour statewide bandh to protest the alleged attack.
Mr Biswas, who was appointed to his current post in December 2019 after the resignation of Pradyot Deb Barman, has been actively trying to restore Congress to a position of power in the state. He has travelled across the state extensively since taking over the President's post.
On Friday Mr Biswas was also leading agitations against the centre's agriculture laws. He led a march from the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Agartala to Raj Bhavan - the official residence of Governor Ramesh Bais.
Last month Tripura opposition leader Manik Sarkar accused the BJP of a preplanned attack on CPI(M) workers as they were holding a condolence meeting for those died during the farmers' protest against the centre's new agriculture laws.
The alleged attack took place at the residence of Pabitra Kar, the Tripura Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, Mr Sarkar was quoted by news agency PTI.
BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya denied the charges and instead alleged that his party workers had been attacked by CPI(M) activists.
With input from PTI