BY TC News Desk
Agartala, January 02: A peaceful protest in Radhapur village of the Jubarajnagar assembly constituency turned chaotic as villagers expressed their frustration over a prolonged drinking water crisis and the alleged disrespectful behavior of MLA Malina Debnath’s husband, Niranjan Das.
For the past 15 days, the village has been grappling with a severe drinking water shortage due to burst water pipelines during the construction of a 7 km road connected to the national highway. The affected villagers, comprising more than 200 families, have been enduring the scarcity, leading to heightened tensions.
Efforts by the local administration to address the water shortage have fallen short, prompting the village head, Nantu Goswami, and North district BJP president, Malina Debnath, to seek assistance from the concerned authorities. However, their attempts proved futile, aggravating the anger among the villagers.
Today morning, the situation took a turn for the worse when villagers blocked the road in protest. Malina Debnath, attempting to defuse the tension, engaged in a discussion with the protesters. The dialogue took an unfortunate twist when Niranjan Das, allegedly kicked a women’s pitcher, triggering outrage among the villagers.
The act was viewed as a gross insult, with the protesting women asserting that the pitcher held cultural significance, being used for religious rituals such as puja. The incident further fueled the anger among the villagers, refusing attempts by MLA Malina Debnath to pacify the situation.
The disrespectful act by Niranjan Das has added a new dimension to the ongoing water crisis, transforming a peaceful protest into a heated confrontation. The locals remain adamant in their demand for a swift resolution to the water shortage issue, and tensions continue to escalate in the Jubarajnagar assembly constituency. Authorities are urged to intervene promptly to address both the water crisis and the grievances arising from the disrespectful incident.
