Agartala, May 14 (PTI) Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council has asked its executive members not to avail police escorts until the state government assures the local body authorities of providing uninterrupted security coverage to them, an official said on Saturday.
The tribal body took the decision after the police escort to its deputy chief executive member Animesh Debbarma was temporarily withdrawn a few days back.
“The council has mandated that the chief executive member and all executive members must leave the security escorts from Saturday in a protest against the state government’s move,” council’s chairman Jagadish Debbarma told PTI.
Chitya Ranjan Debbarma, an executive member of the tribal council, said the decision has been communicated to Chief Secretary Kumar Alok and Home Secretary Saradindu Choudhury.
“Police escorts can’t be rolled back from an elected member of the autonomous district council without citing any specific reason. The move is aimed at disrupting development works in the tribal body areas,” the council’s chairman said, adding that the state government would be held responsible if they face any untoward incident while performing their duties for the people .
Responding to the development, the state’s home secretary said he is not aware of the district council’s decision of boycotting police escorts.
“The security escort of the deputy CEM was withdrawn due to an increase in numbers of visiting VVIPs in the state. It is a temporary measure. We will look into the issue on Monday,” he said.
The deputy CEM of the council has claimed that the government is supposed to provide police escort to the executive members and MDCs at par with the state’s cabinet ministers or MLAs.
“In 1998, the then governor, in a notification, mandated that the CEM, EMs and MDCs are entitled to get security at par with the state cabinet ministers or MLAs. It is unfortunate that my security was withdrawn without citing any reason,” he added.