AGARTALA / DHARMANAGAR, June 17 (TIWN): Recently Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb expressed his concerns about “yet long rows” before Tripura petrol pumps and he blamed the previous Govt for its failure to allocate land to oil companies. However, this is not the single cause of such disturbances before petrol pumps but the petrol and diesel which are given to public if tested it will show, how much kerosene are mixed in them. This corruption is going under a big-mafia gang which is existing in Dharmanagr, North Tripura District, centering which a journalist was attempted to be murdered in 2018. The mafia gang is not only active but the CM will surprise to know that many of the Communist mafias are now BJP’s pristha-pramukhas and the chain of their mafia-regime has been connected with ration shops. According to ground survey, the main source of oil theft is kerosene which are supplied in ration shops for common men but kerosene crisis in ration shops are day to day story here. In 2018 the oil mafias who were arrested after attacking a journalist for covering oil-theft news are all roaming free.

These kerosene stocks are illegally exchanged between fuel dealers (sometimes in the petrol pumps) and after unloading the petrol, diesel stocks, they are sent to the oil mafia and 800 litre of fuel is taken out in exchange of 800 litre kerosene.

Thus the bikers and vehicle drivers are left with no other option than to use fuel mixed by kerosene. As a result new vehicles are also becoming non-functional many times but surprising matter is that the mafias which were seen in CPI-M era with heavyweight leaders became pristha-pramukhas of BJP.

After CM Biplab Deb’s warning against oil mafias, the local administration attempted to stop illegal flow of fuel theft in 2018, but all ended shortly under pressure allegedly from local leaders and now oil theft is racing in double speed than before.

Along with oil theft drugs business, yaba tablet, phensedyl smuggling are going at high race.

Tripura’s oil mafia-raj became an international news after North Tripura journalist was attempted to be murdered by oil-mafias after he published various news with evidences across state media in 2018. He was caught by the mafias on 19th June night. They cut his throat but Suman ran for life to hospital and the mafias could not caught him.

Standing in North Tripura, on March 29, 2018 CM directly warned the Oil mafias whose work is to theft oil entering Tripura from Assam, but the situation remained unchanged.

On 19th June 2018 Journalist TIWN former journalist Suman Debnath was brutally attacked by North Tripura Petrol Mafia led by Smuggler Simin Mia, aided by another criminal Mihir Deb late Monday night 10.30pm. Simin Mia lured Journalist Suman to meet in Dharmanagar town on the pretext of a discussion. As soon as Suman Debnath met smuggler Simin, Simin pulled out a dagger to slice Suman’s neck, Simin Mia’s dagger was not sharp enough to cut deeper into Suman’s neck and Suman ran for life. Injured Suman ran for life towards hospital. Suman was covering those news since Communist regime but now the same mafias have changed their party-dresses and continuing illegal works leading massive suffering for the whole state.