Agartala: A self-proclaimed journalist and social media content creator from Tripura, Saikat Talapatra, was arrested in the wee hours of Friday for posting a series of ‘sensational and unfounded content’ about Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha.
Talapatra will remain in jail till October 12. He was arrested shortly after his online media outlet “Independent” posted contents about the CM.
A team of Tripura Police from the crime branch unit landed at West Bengal and detained him from a hideout located in North Twenty Four Parganas district.
Police sources said that the police had been searching for the content creator till 2022 when a local court issued a non-bailable warrant for violating the terms of bail. He somehow managed to evade the police dragnet but was ultimately arrested and brought to Agartala, a senior police official said on condition of anonymity.
Later, he was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate West Tripura and Additional District and Session Judge West Tripura in turns. Additional Public Prosecutor Bidyut Sutradhar said, “A total of four cases has been heard by the Chief Judicial Magistrate and Additional District and session judge in turns. Talapatra had been sent to jail custody till October 9 in one case and in another had been awarded Jail custody till October 12. Tripura Police’s prayer for police remand has been heard but the Court kept its verdict reserved on Friday”.
In two other cases, the Court dismissed the prayer of soon arrest and bail was granted.
According to Sutradhar, Tripura Commission for Women chairperson Jharna Debbarma had also lodged an FIR with West Agartala police station on Friday.
Another additional public prosecutor said that the legal aid council assigned him a lawyer as none appeared on behalf of him in the court.
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“He had secured a bail in a case related to 2021 but later did not cooperate with the investigating agency. On April 25, 2022, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. Based on that warrant, he had been detained from West Bengal and produced before the Court on October 6, 2023. The case was framed under Indian penal code section 307 for attempt to murder, 506 for criminal intimidation and 441 for criminal trespassing. He absconded the state soon after securing the bail in order to evade the legal proceedings”, APP Indrajit Biswas who represented police in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court said.
Notably, Talapatra is accused of spreading canard against Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, his predecessor Biplab Kumar Deb and TIPRA founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. Multiple FIRs had been filed against him in different police stations of the state soon after he was brought to Agartala. He was arrested earlier as well when Biplab Kumar Deb was the Chief Minister of Tripura.
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