By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : The former minister of Tripura’s Left front government Badal Chowdhury who was questioned thrice by the vigilance commission is booked by the police over Rs. 600 crore PWD scam.Tripura police raided the CPI(M) party’s state headquarter at Melarmath, in search of former minister and present MLA Badal Choudhury, who has been absconding.The police also searched for several party offices across the state. However, Badal Chowdury is granted interim bail till October 16 by district and session judge, Satyajit Datta Purokayastha. Despite this, he is still absconding.The police arrested Chief Engineer, Sunil Bhowmik on Sunday night and was lodged in the West Agartala Police station. Chief engineer Sunil Bhowmik was also produced to court on Monday and sent to judicial custody to be produced in the court again on Tuesday.

CPI-M Melarmath Party Office was raided illegally by Police today in search of Badal Choudhury amid District judge ordered police not to arrest Choudhury before 4.30 PM. Tripura CPI-M General Secretary Gautam Das addressing media said that the former Minister appealed in the District Court demanded anticipatory bail but police could not file any proper FIR with evidence against Badal Choudhury. Public prosecutor was taking time again and again and the District judge ordered that till 4.30 pm Badal Choudhury can not be arrested, but all of a sudden the police force rushed to the Party office in search of Badal Choudhury but when asked, no paper could be shown by Police. Gautam Das said, police have massively violated the law and they had no right to enter like this. CPI-M has condemned the incident and gross violation of law by police. CPI-M leader Narayan Kar who was rushing with police said nobody was informed about the raid.

When police rushed to the upstairs then former Minister Manik Dey came out and asked the police what is the reason and how without warrant they entered in the house ?CPI-M has kicked off massive protest statewide voicing against the politically motivated case against former PWD Minister Badal Choudhury. The protest with red-flags started from the party office at there slamming the BJP Govt for its attempt to harass Badal Choudhury and retired Govt officers who were involved in various construction works for state’s development. Similar protests are being continued statewide after CPI-M HQ on yesterday followed by day-long police’s broad-day light illegal activities, raids without warrant in the party headquarter and rejecting of accepting bail-bond by West Agartala Police had called for statewide protests. Badal Choudhury who is the MLA at there is a favourite leader of the South Tripura. He is also the deputy opposition leader of CPI-M.

It was observed that to help the MLA and former Minister, not only CPI-M but neutral and social activists toiled on ground till late night, fought with police. Advocate Purushottom Roy Barman said that as Badal Choudhury successfully raised various issues hitting the Govt at the Assembly that why Badal Choudhury is the ruling Govt’s target. Calling it a politically motivated case, advocates of former PWD Minister Badal Choudhury said, “The issue is of 2008 which was outcome of a cabinet decision, approved by Public Accounts Committee later. So there is no ground of the case, but we will see the issue later and till now we were working for the bail as FIR was lodged, but this is totally politically motivated case”.