A Tripura Central University lecturer, who was suspended following an adverse news report on August 10, and several other people allegedly assaulted the employees of a newspaper and vandalised their office in Agartala on Wednesday evening, reported the Hindustan Times. Employees of the Tripura Times have filed a complaint and sought immediate action.

The first information report named suspended sociology lecturer Moti Kapoor, Samar Chakraborty and others. It said the accused barged into their office and assaulted office manager Soumen Bhattacharjee and senior reporter Jaydip Chakraborty. “They ran amok in Tripura Times office at about 7 pm on 14th August, 2019,” read the FIR, according to The Indian Express.

Chakraborty also alleged that the accused tried to enter the residence of Tripura High Court judge Justice Arindam Lodh. The house, which is on the same premises as the newspaper office, was locked. Lodh is a former editor of the newspaper. “Both Moti Kapoor and Samar Chakrabarty kicked and tried to vandalise entrance of Mr Lodh’s chamber,” alleged Chakrabarty. “They even threatened to stop publication of the newspaper and other dire consequences. They said they had arms with them.”

The alleged assault came four days after a report in the Tripura Times said Kapoor showed karate moves in one of his classes. “Regarding his [Kapoor’s] query, we told him that the news was filed on the basis of a video which went viral on social media,” said Chakabarty. He added that Kapoor threatened to parade 2,000 students in front of the newspaper office and shut it down if the report was not taken back. “His accomplice claimed proximity with Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and central ministers,” Chakrabarty told The Indian Express.

The police have begun investigation. “During our search, we seized the faculty’s two-wheeler from the university campus,” said Debaprasad Roy, the officer in charge of West Agartala police station. “He is absconding and a search is on.”