Tripura ‘insurgent free’, declares CM as top rebel leaders surrender, with hundreds

“It is simply a substance of happiness that they (insurgents) person returned to mainstream life, leaving the way of violence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah privation to instrumentality the state up connected the way of bid and development. The insurgents person taken a measurement successful that direction,” Saha said.

Those who laid down arms included NLFT main Biswamohan Debbarma, NLFT (PD) supremo Parimal Debbarma, NLFT (Original) person Prasenjit Debbarma and ATTF main Alendra Debbarma. Biswamohan claimed that of the 380 cadres of his outfit, 261 had laid down arms portion the remaining were “stranded” successful Bangladesh.

584 members of NLFT and ATTF surrendered.

Officials said the cadres surrendered with 168 firearms, including Chinese grenades, onshore mines, RPG-7, M-20 pistols, and Kalashnikov guns. Many of them were of American and German make, the officials said.

On September 8, 4 days aft the Memorandum of Settlement was signed, 328 cadres of the banned groups had laid down arms.

Claiming that insurgency has travel down to “almost zero” successful the Northeast owed to the Modi government’s “12 bid accords with antithetic groups implicit the past 10 years”, Saha said 3 of these agreements had been signed with Tripura-based outfits.

“Over 10,000 cadre person laid down arms truthful far. Violence and insurgency are not the solution to problems,” helium added.

Biswamohan thanked Shah and the information agencies and said helium was blessed to instrumentality to mean life. “We are moving towards bid successful the Northeast. Many others deliberation similar us. Talks betwixt the Centre and NSCN (of Nagaland) are ongoing,” helium said.

He besides appealed to different groups to travel his path, but added that the authorities indispensable beryllium “sincere” successful solving governmental issues. “This is our country. My household and I are from the state. There is simply a crushed wherefore we took up arms. We person travel backmost (to mean life) for the involvement of the deprived and suppressed classes,” the NLFT main said.

Skirting questions astir a imaginable governmental plunge, similar by erstwhile rebel person Dasaratha Dev (Debbarma) of the Jana Siksha Andolan successful the 1940s, Biswamohan said thing is definite and that helium “would spot what happens” aft the bid accord is implemented.

The NLFT was established connected March 12, 1989, with Dhananjoy Reang, a erstwhile insurgent person of the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV), arsenic its leader. The NLFT’s enactment turned to Biswamohan aft Nayanbasi, who had been ousted from the group, formed a caller outfit known arsenic the Tripura Resurrection Army (TRA), but yet surrendered with each of its members a fewer years later.

The Centre banned it successful 1997, and they look stringent laws the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

Prasenjit, who surrendered with 212 cadres, hoped that the promises made by the Centre – of a Rs 250 crore fund, escaped acquisition for children and benefits for tribals – successful the accord would beryllium fulfilled portion Parimal claimed helium laid down arms arsenic helium was impressed with the government’s enactment for tribals.

Officials said the cadres surrendered with 168 firearms, including Chinese grenades, onshore mines, RPG-7, M-20 pistols, and Kalashnikov guns. Many of them were of American and German make, the officials said.

Long equipped conflict

Although equipped conflict successful Tripura dates backmost to 1967, erstwhile a tiny outfit called Sengkrak took up arms, the heavy of insurgency came successful the precocious ’80s, erstwhile a bid of insurgent groups including the NLFT and the ATTF rose.

An offshoot of the TNV, the ATTF came into beingness successful July 1990 arsenic the All Tripura Tribal Force and successful 1992 was rechristened arsenic ATTF. Its archetypal person Ranjit Debbarma is present an MLA of the BJP’s state TIPRA Motha.

The ATTF was mostly restricted to pockets of North Tripura and South Tripura districts and emerged arsenic a large stakeholder successful 1991 by raising a important cache of weapons, recruiting youths etc.