A 46-year-old worker of the All India Kisan Sabha was allegedly beaten to death by a group of BJP-linked miscreants at Bagber village under Kalyanpur police station in Tripura’s Khowai district, triggering widespread anger and grief in the area.

The deceased, Jalil Rahman, son of Habibur Rahman, was a cattle trader and an active Kisan Sabha worker. The killing has evoked strong condemnation from the Left movement. The incident was also condemned at the 22nd state conference of the All India Kisan Sabha in session in Agartala, where delegates paid homage to Rahman and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.

According to the complaint filed by Rahman’s wife, Lilufa Begum, her husband had been engaged in the cattle trade for a long time. On Tuesday, he had purchased cattle from the house of Anukul Debnath at Bagber. Since the cattle were not handed over that day, Rahman went to Debnath’s house before dawn on Wednesday to collect them for taking them to the cattle market at Bagan Bazar. He left his motorcycle at the house.

Begum alleged that at around 4 to 4.30 am, a group of BJP miscreants attacked Rahman while he was bringing the cattle and brutally assaulted him. The attackers allegedly took away around Rs 70,000 in cash and his mobile phone.

According to the FIR, around ten persons were involved in the attack. Begum has identified Prasanjit Majumder, Dilip Das and Ajit Debnath among the accused.

Before his phone was allegedly taken away, Rahman managed to call home and inform his family that he was under attack. On receiving the information, Begum rushed to the spot. She found her husband in a bloodied condition and raised an alarm. She alleged that the attackers then turned on her, assaulted her severely and snatched away her mobile phone. She managed to escape and save her life.

Police from Kalyanpur police station subsequently reached the spot and brought the situation under control. Rahman’s body was recovered and sent to the Kalyanpur hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.

The circumstances surrounding Rahman’s motorcycle have also raised questions. The motorcycle had been left at the cattle owner’s house when Rahman went to collect the cattle. It was later allegedly removed from there and found abandoned in broad daylight under a banyan tree at Ghilatali market. The family has alleged that the motorcycle may have been shifted in an attempt to create confusion or conceal the circumstances of the crime.

CPI(M) leaders visited Rahman’s residence after receiving news of the killing and stood by the bereaved family. Among those who visited were CPI(M) Teliamura sub-divisional secretary Subhash Nath, Khowai district secretariat member Ajay Ghosh, Ghiltali local committee secretary Nirmal Das, sub-divisional committee members Sujit Chowdhury and Pradip Sarkar, along with student leader Shakil Biswas and other Left leaders.

Condemning the killing, Subhash Nath described it as a “planned and brutal murder” and demanded an impartial investigation. He urged the police not to succumb to political pressure and called for the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of all those involved.

The killing was strongly condemned from the platform of the 22nd state conference of the All India Kisan Sabha. Delegates expressed deep sorrow over Rahman’s death and extended solidarity to his injured wife and family. The entire conference stood in silence to pay homage to Rahman and demanded justice.

The Kisan Sabha and Left leaders have alleged that Dilip Das, Prasanjit Majumder, Ajit Debnath and their associates led the attack. They have demanded their immediate arrest and stringent punishment if found guilty.

The incident has once again raised serious concerns over the continuing incidents of political violence in Tripura and the safety of opposition and Left activists in the state.