Tripura minister resigns, gets CPM's clean chit

In an unprecedented move the CPM on Friday gave his party’s virtual clean chit to the CPI-M leader, and Tripura’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sahid Chowdhury just a day after he submitted his resignation on account of his alleged links with a suspected militant of Bangladesh based Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI) organisation.

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Although Choudhary said the allegation was baseless, but he was submitting his resignation following an inquiry to facilitate a free and just investigation because he did not want further his name to be linked for playing with facts and interfering in inquiry.

“I have decided to resign from the ministry to uphold high moral values and for the sake of an independent investigation," Choudhary was quoted as saying.

The inquiry was placed after the Leader of the Opposition Ratan Lal Nath a Congress leader complaint to Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on April 07 for the minister’s illegal assistance to Mamun Mian, alias Suman Majumdar, supposedly a member of HuJI and demanded his resignation and an institution of an independent inquiry.

Getting full support from his party, the Minister succumbed his resignation followed by a press statement issued by the state committee of ruling CPI-M, which said he was resigning after media reports popping up his nexus with the arms dealer Mamun Mian, who was arrested on March 28 in a joint operation carried by West Bengal CID and the Tripura police.

The investigation allegedly links Chowdhury in assisting Mian to acquire an Indian passport in the name of Suman Majumdar and a permanent resident certificate. The investigators however are yet to find out the source of his income which led Mian in spending a lavish life in a rented house in Tripura for over 14 years. Mian, who identified himself a garment trader from West Bengal, was arrested for his involvement in anti-India activities and arms trafficking.

Police is now examining on various fronts comprising whether Chowdhury had any involvement in smuggling food grains and arms across the Indo-Bangla border considering his constituency Boxanagar, which is located on the border.

The Opposition Congress had earlier charged Chowdhury for his involvement in rice and sugar inter-country smuggling.

“The police (special branch) officials have started an inquiry to uncover the details about Mamun Mian and also about those who helped him stay in Tripura illegally,” director general of police KTD Singh told the media.

It is believed that Tripura's economy has been mostly dependent on informal or illegal border trade with Bangladesh and a number of people in the Northeast have been charged in the past for their support to insurgents with funds, vehicles and accommodations.

But Sahid Chowdhury is the first one to be incurred with an official inquiry against him for his anti-national activities. Chowdhury was elected for the third time from the Boxanagar assembly constituency in west Tripura on February 23 Assembly elections.