A petition seeking the quashing of FIRs against senior CPI-M politician and former state minister Bhanulal Saha was denied by the Tripura High Court.

FIRs were lodged against Saha after he reportedly encouraged Tripura youngsters to take up 'arms' on social media. The former Tripura minister is accused of urging state youth to arm themselves with clubs, machetes, and iron rods in order to defend themselves against purported political attacks.

"Keep sticks, da, iron pipes, etc... at every house for mass resistance for their bricks, kicks, petrol bombs... regardless of women-men-teens-aged," Saha wrote on Facebook in May. Taking items for self-defense is not a crime... With boldness, resist the goons of the governing party."

In the previous Manik Sarkar-led Left administration in Tripura, Saha was the finance minister. "...quashing of FIR on the pretext that the remark made is'stand-alone' cannot be accepted since the posting on Facebook during the aforementioned period made by members from the said political party, needs a careful study," the Tripura High Court ordered.

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