6,000 Congress activists court arrest in Tripura

Around 6,000 Congress workers on Tuesday courted arrest while five people, including two policemen, sustained minor injuries during a civil disobedience stir by the opposition party here in Tripura.

The civil disobedience movement was organised by the Youth Congress in support of their six demands, including inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation in all chit fund cases, allowance to unemployed youth, and checking corruption in government departments.

Braving rain, actor-turned Congress leader Raj Babbar, Youth Congress' all-India president Amrinder Singh Raja Brar, Tripura's Leader of Opposition Sudip Roy Barman, state party chief Birajit Sinha and Youth Congress' state unit president Sushanta Chowdhury led the four-hour-long agitation.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Central) Rajendra Datta said five people including two policemen sustained minor injuries in a scuffle between the agitators and security personnel.

Police resorted to using water cannons to disperse the activists.

Addressing the gathering, Brar said the Left Front government in Tripura was hesitating to entrust all chit fund cases to the CBI as its top leaders were involved in fraudulent acts.

"Crimes against women are the highest in Tripura among the Indian states, while the law and order situation is deteriorating beyond control," he said.

Brar also criticised the Narendra Modi government at the centre, saying it was also involved in scams.