FIR against BJP MLA for trying to install AB Vajpayee's statue

AGARTALA: The rift between Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb and his MLAs have widened further after the State government registered an FIR against the former Health Minister and ruling party MLA Sudip Roybarman on December 24. MLA Sudip Roybarman was accused of illegally installing the statue of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Cancer hospital which was renamed after Vajpayee during his tenure.

This is the third case against the MLA by the State government in the past six months. Police said that according to the complaint filed by the Medical Superintendent of the Centre, Dr Gautam Majumdar, three workers had been arrested from the site on DEcember 24 on the charge of illegal construction at government premises. However, the MLA has neither been reached nor arrested by the police yet.

The first case registered against him was during COVID-19 when there was a huge chaos in a COVID Care Centre due to the lack of amenities and services. Reportedly, though the MLA had visited the Centre which falls under his constituency wearing a PPE kit, however, the authority had filed a case against him for illegal entry into the Centre by violating COVID guidelines. After two months, when allegations were raised over the death of COVID-19 patients in the hospital due to the lack of Oxygen supply and proper treatment, MLA Roybarman along with a Biomedical Engineer personally reached the hospital to look into the matter after receiving a SOS call from the on-duty doctors.

Meanwhile, the MLA is denying the allegations of illegal construction of Vajpayee's statue in the hospital's premises. According to him, he had written a letter to the Medical Superintendent of a cancer hospital, seeking permission for construction; and nobody objected to the idea. He also clarified his part by saying that since the hospital is renamed after the former Prime Minister, he had wanted to pay tribute to the great leader on his birthday by unveiling the statue by the Chief Minister and Governor.

''Accordingly, I have invited the Governor along with MLAs Ramprasad Paul, Ashish Kumar Saha and Sushanta Chowdhury; and the Governor gave his consent.

''I also called the CM; but he didn't receive it and had also written a letter but no response came,'' said MLA Roybarman. He further added, ''We are members of 'Rogi Kalyan Samiti' as well. We placed a proposal and the MS of Cancer hospital has shown us the place where the statue will be installed.

''However, when our workers started working, all of a sudden police arrested the workers; a case was also registered against me at the NCC Police Station.''

The MLA wants to leave it to the judiciary to decide and expressed his regret about the current situation. (Agencies

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