Despite CM’s directive, Puja ‘donation’ demand: driver assaulted, vehicle vandalised in Dharmanagar

Questions have been raised in Dharmanagar over allegations that a goods vehicle was stopped and money demanded, despite the administration’s warnings against forced Puja donations.

A Bolero pickup (AS02EC 4818) carrying green chillies from Nagaon in Assam to Gol Bazar in Agartala was allegedly stopped at around 1:30 am by members of a local club in the Chandrapur area of Dharmanagar. Driver Faruk Hossain alleged that some club members demanded ₹5,000 from him as a Puja donation.

The driver claims that when he refused to pay, they tried to force the vehicle onto another road, leading to an argument with the club members. He alleges he was then beaten up and the vehicle vandalised, and that the chillies had started to spoil because the vehicle was held up for so long.

After the incident, Faruk Hossain lodged a written complaint at Dharmanagar police station, demanding a proper investigation and justice. The administration has warned against stopping vehicles on the road to collect money in the name of Puja donations, yet such complaints raise the question of whether the directives exist only on paper. Only the police investigation will establish why the vehicle was stopped, the money demand, and the truth of the assault and vandalism allegations.

If the allegations are proved, there are demands that those involved face action under the law and that the safety of inter-state goods vehicles be ensured in future. All eyes are now on the Dharmanagar police investigation and the administration’s next steps.