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Opposition Left Front has called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Sunday in protest against the murder of CPIM’s Panchayat candidate Badal Shil allegedly by BJP activists. The announcement was made at a press conference at the CPIM state headquarters on Saturday evening.
Badal Shil, 51, a CPIM Belonia divisional committee member, was reportedly attacked on July 11 after submitting his nomination papers for the South Tripura Zilla Parishad’s seat No. 4. According to Narayan Kar, the Left Front state convenor, Shil was first assaulted by BJP workers while returning from the nomination process. Later that evening, Shil was attacked again at the Chottakhola market with sharp weapons, rods, and wooden sticks in the presence of local residents.
Shil was initially treated at the local Chottakhola hospital and then transferred to Santibazar district hospital before being referred to GBP hospital in Agartala, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday around 2 PM.
Kar condemned the violence, describing the attack as premeditated, and urged the government to take immediate action against those responsible for Shil’s death. CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury also condemned the incident, stating that the people of Tripura will not tolerate such acts of violence. He called on the public to support the bandh as a demonstration against political violence.
Earlier on Saturday, Chaudhury provided further details on the incident, claiming that the attack occurred when CPIM candidates, led by former MLA Sudhan Das, were en route to the BDO office. As the group passed Raj Nagar colony higher secondary school, they were ambushed by armed BJP miscreants, resulting in multiple injuries among CPIM workers and supporters, including the fatal head injury sustained by Shil.
