Agartala: Tripura Police have launched an inquiry into BJP MLA Tafajjal Hossain following multiple complaints filed at various police stations over his contentious comments about the dietary habits and lifestyles of the state’s indigenous tribal communities earlier this week.The complaints were filed after a video of Hossain’s comments was widely circulated on social media. Tribal organisations and sections of the indigenous population have condemned the comments as offensive and disrespectful to their cultural identity and dignity.On Saturday, Sonamura police station was tasked with consolidating and investigating the complaints. The sub-divisional administration has also ordered a separate inquiry.The complaints seek action under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.Hossain had also courted controversy a day earlier by suggesting that chief minister Manik Saha’s position was precarious within BJP and a shift could occur at any moment based on decisions made by party leaders in Delhi.Referring to former chief minister and current Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, Hossain said, “Deb would likely never have anticipated having to step down from the chief minister’s position. However, everything changed with a phone call from the party leadership in Delhi one fine morning in 2022, just eight months prior to the Assembly elections.”BJP has issued a show-cause notice to Hossain, seeking his response to both statements within a week.Police have faced criticism from opposition parties, including Tipra Motha, a partner in the BJP-led alliance, for not taking immediate action against the MLA. Tipra Motha leaders questioned why Hossain had not been booked under the same provisions used against Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen, who was arrested last month over an alleged racial slur against a local youth.They argued that the MLA’s remarks warranted stricter action because he is an elected representative and a member of the ruling party.
