Driver Allegedly Assaulted And Vehicle Vandalised In Dharmanagar For Refusing Puja Donation.

Dharmanagar, Tripura, 2nd of October, 2026 : Amid repeated warnings from the administration against stopping goods vehicles on roads and forcibly collecting money in the name of Puja donations, a serious allegation has once again surfaced in Dharmanagar.

A goods vehicle travelling from Assam to Tripura was allegedly stopped in the Chandrapur area of Dharmanagar, where members of a local club reportedly demanded ₹5,000 as a Puja donation. When the driver refused to pay, he was allegedly assaulted and the vehicle was vandalised.According to the complaint, a Bolero pickup carrying green chillies was travelling from Nagaon in Assam to Gul Bazar in Agartala. The vehicle bears registration number AS02EC 4818.The driver, Faruk Hossain, alleged that at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday (1st October, 2026), the vehicle was stopped in the Chandrapur area. He claimed that several members of a local club demanded ₹5,000 from him as Puja donation. When he refused to pay, the situation reportedly became tense.According to the driver, he was subsequently pressured to take the vehicle through another village road. Following an argument over the matter, he was allegedly assaulted and the vehicle was also vandalised.

Faruk Hossain said that the vehicle remained stranded for a considerable period following the incident, causing the green chillies loaded in the vehicle to begin deteriorating.The allegation has once again raised concerns over the safety of goods vehicles travelling on inter-state routes.Following the incident, the driver submitted a written complaint to Meena Debbarma, Officer-in- Charge of Dharmanagar Police Station. The complaint seeks a thorough investigation into the incident and legal action against those responsible.

It may be recalled that the administration has repeatedly warned against stopping vehicles on roads and forcibly collecting money in the name of Puja donations. If the allegations of stopping the vehicle, demanding money, assaulting the driver and vandalising the vehicle are found to be true, questions are likely to arise over the effective implementation of the administration’s directives.However, the allegations are yet to be established and remain subject to investigation.If the allegations are proven, demands have been raised for strict legal action against those responsible. There are also growing calls for effective administrative monitoring to ensure that goods vehicles travelling along the Assam–Tripura route are not illegally stopped during the Puja season.It now remains to be seen how quickly Dharmanagar Police proceeds with the investigation and what action is taken if the allegations are substantiated.