Agartala: In an ugly fallout power tussle, a social activist associated with a big ticket club was shot dead from a very close range on Tuesday evening here in the outskirts of Agartala city. The deceased is identified as Durga Prasanna Deb, the incumbent General Secretary of Bharat Ratna Sangha Club located in the proximity of Maharaja Bir Bikram International Airport, Agartala.
Police sources said the incident occurred at around 8 PM when the deceased was stationed at the Salbagan area. The assailants arrived at the spot in a car and fired at the victim from a very close range.
According to eyewitnesses, more than one shot was fired at him which led to his death. Speaking to media persons, the brother of the accused person said, “My brother has worked for the BJP. He had been an active worker. Today he paid the price of being a supporter of the party.”
The family members pointed fingers towards one Raju Barman who is reportedly, a business rival of Deb. Sources privy to the internal conflicts between two influential groups of Usha Bazar area, the place where the club is situated, informed EastMojo that the CPWD office situated in the area is the reason behind the power tussle.
Several groups want to control the contracts awarded by the Central government agencies through CPWD which later became the bone of contention between the group led by the deceased and the accused person. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior police official has said, “The accused in the case is almost identified. For the sake of inquiry, we are disclosing the name of the accused person.” Speaking on the issue, SDPO New Capital Complex Subrata Barman said, “The manhunt for the accused persons is underway. The incident occurred at around 8 PM. The investigation is underway.”
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