Vehicular movement along National Highway-8 and railway traffic were disrupted in Tripura on Friday as surrendered militants belonging to two groups jointly launched a 72-hour agitation in support of their 11-point demands, including economic rehabilitation.
A police spokesman said that around 400 surrendered extremists belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) were organising road and railway track blockades at three places in Khowai and West Tripura districts.
He said that due to the blockade, vehicles of all types were unable to ply, disrupting normal life as National Highway-8, the surface lifeline of Tripura, was blocked at three places in the two districts. In view of the agitation, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelled or short-terminated 10 express and local trains, disrupting rail services across the state.
A large number of security personnel, led by senior police officials, have been deployed to deal with the situation.
The NLFT and ATTF cadres surrendered before the Tripura government and subsequently laid down their arms and ammunition after signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the state government on September 4, 2024. The agitating groups, however, claimed that their demands had not yet been fulfilled.
"Many of our surrendered cadres remain homeless, and they are facing serious hardship due to the non-availability of livelihood opportunities as assured by the state government," said Jibonjoy Reang, a spokesman for the surrendered militants.
He said the government had assured them of economic rehabilitation for all surrendered NLFT and ATTF members, but alleged that little had been done so far.
Reang said the cadres had responded to the government's appeal, surrendered their arms and joined the mainstream, but the government had yet to fulfil its assurances and implement the provisions of the tripartite agreement.
"We are ready to withdraw our blockade if we get a written assurance from the state government. If the state government remains silent on our genuine demands, we will launch an indefinite agitation across the state in support of our demands and the economic rehabilitation of the surrendered NLFT and ATTF cadres," Reang told the media.
Former NLFT leader Prasanjit Debbarma said that around 1,200 former militants had surrendered before the Centre and the Tripura government under various peace accords, with the expectation of rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration, but alleged that several commitments made under the tripartite agreement remained unfulfilled despite repeated appeals and representations submitted to the authorities.
Debbarma further claimed that although more than two years had passed since many former militants renounced violence and returned to normal life, only a very few cadres had so far been identified as beneficiaries of the rehabilitation package.
According to him, the Central government had announced a rehabilitation package worth Rs 250 crore, which included provisions for economic assistance, livelihood generation, welfare measures and other initiatives aimed at ensuring a secure and sustainable future for those who had abandoned insurgency and joined the democratic mainstream.
The surrendered militant groups had launched a rail and National Highway blockade on June 12 too, demanding proper rehabilitation for surrendered militants, but withdrew the agitation following a request from the state government to address their concerns.
After the signing of the September 4, 2024 agreement, several hundred NLFT and ATTF militants formally surrendered before Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Tripura State Rifles' 7 Bn at Jampuijala in Sepahijala district on September 24, 2024.