TPSC chief, son held for ‘drunken’ brawl and obstruction of minister’s convoy

Agartala: The chairman of Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC), Colonel (retd) Kush Kumar Sharma, was detained on Sunday night after allegedly creating a disturbance with his son while inebriated and interfering with on-duty police officers at a city hotel where the 2nd Tripura Diaspora Summit was being held.He was released early Monday morning on a personal bond after undergoing medical checks, police said.Colonel Sharma is accused of abusing tourism minister Sushanta Chowdhury when security personnel asked him to relocate his vehicle to clear passage for the minister’s convoy.Police said the incident occurred around 11pm as Chowdhury was leaving the hotel after attending the summit. Colonel Sharma’s driver had parked a vehicle at the hotel entrance, obstructing the convoy. When the minister’s driver asked that the vehicle be moved, the request was allegedly refused, leading to an argument.As the situation escalated, the minister intervened to calm matters, but the TPSC Chairman allegedly questioned the minister’s identity, police said.According to police, Colonel Sharma’s son was found half-dressed and allegedly abused Chowdhury and the people of Tripura using foul words. Police said Colonel Sharma and his son then got into a physical altercation with the minister’s security personnel.Two cars allegedly belonging to the TPSC chairman’s family later blocked the exit, temporarily preventing the minister’s convoy from moving out from the hotel entrance, police said.Police added that Colonel Sharma’s wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law, along with Colonel Sharma and his son, allegedly threatened police with dire consequences, prompting IGP (Intelligence) Krishnendu Chakaravoti, SP (West) Namit Pathak, and OC (West Agartala PS) Rana Chatterjee to reach the spot.Top police officers later detained Colonel Sharma and his son, police said.Colonel Kush Kumar Sharma has been the chairman of TPSC since July 2023, after retiring from the Indian Army.Colonel Sharma was accused of disrespecting a former high court judge during an earlier encounter. Following his nomination as chairman, the relationship between the state govt and the TPSC has become strained, apparently due to his arrogance and ignorance of civil administration, said a senior officer in the state govt.Colonel Sharma couldn’t be reached despite several attempts.