Tipra Motha Founder Pradyot Debbarma Appears in Court in Case Related to Racial Slur

Pradyot Debbarma said, "I have to defend both my family's and my community’s dignity."

Tipra Motha founder and Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma today appeared before the District and Sessions Court in West Tripura to record his statement in a case related to racial remarks against Tripura’s indigenous population and Debbarma himself, calling them “Chinese.”

Debbarma had filed the case in 2023 under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for defamation against a social media post dated July 17, 2023, in which one Saikat Talapatra allegedly made a racial slur targeting Tripura’s indigenous population and Debbarma himself, referring to them as “Chinese.” The post, shared on Facebook, prompted Debbarma to lodge a formal complaint on October 14, 2023.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Debbarma refrained from delving into details due to the subjudice nature of the case. However, he strongly condemned the remark, stating, “I do not want to say much as the matter is subjudice, but this is about someone calling me and our people names like ‘Chinese Party’, ‘Chinese Dalal’, and ‘Chinese Aunty’. I have to defend both my family’s and my community’s dignity. This says a lot about what our country is all about.”

Debbarma further added that racial discrimination is not only faced by students and individuals from the Northeast in other parts of India but is also prevalent within the region itself.

“It’s not just students from the Northeast who face discrimination in other parts of the country even in Northeast, we are targeted with slurs like ‘chinki’, ‘Chinese’, or Chinese Dalal’. This hurts our sentiments. I have filed a case and told our people not to indulge in anything illegal. There is a court, we will take it to court and have justice delivered to us through legal channels. We are hopeful that justice will be delivered to us,” he added.

Accused Saikat Talapatra, who was arrested from West Bengal more than a year ago, was also produced before the court today.

Special Public Prosecutor Raju Datta stated that Talapatra’s social media post had caused significant harm to the image of Tripura’s Scheduled Tribe communities and defamed the Manikya royal family.

He confirmed that the police had completed their investigation and submitted a chargesheet.

The trial began today, with Debbarma taking the stand as the first witness.

The case is being closely followed in the state, given its implications for the rights and dignity of indigenous communities in Tripura.

Also Read: Md Yunus’s Spiteful NE ‘Landlocked’ Remark: “Break Bangladesh”, Says Tripura Royal Scion Pradyot Debbarma

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