NEW DELHI, Nov 26 ? Leaders of insurgent outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), who met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil here, today said they had asked the Centre to ensure that the Left Front government in the state does not ?violate? the ceasefire agreement with them, reports PTI.
?The Tripura government is creating obstacles in the process of peace and political dialogue,? NLFT chief Nokbar Borak, alias Nayanbashi Jamatiya told PTI here after he and other leaders of the outfit held two days of tripartite talks with Union Home Ministry and state government officials.
The NLFT, which has now changed its name to Integrated Freedom Movement Organisation of Tripura (IFMOT), laid down arms and entered into a ceasefire pact with the government on April 15 this year.
At their third round of meeting here on November 23-24, the insurgent group complained that the Left Front government of Tripura was ?not only unwilling to extend the present ceasefire? which expires in December, but had also not set up ten designated camps for the surrendered militants as was agreed upon previously.
The Tripura State Rifles and the local police were ?harassing? the unarmed cadres, arresting them and had even killed some top leaders like Kutunya Twipra in Dalai district recently, Jamatiya alleged, saying there was ?no positive response? from the state government when complaints were lodged about ?violation of ceasefire ground rules.?
However, the NLFT leaders, including vice-president Bartholomai Borak and prime minister Aaron Borak, were appreciative of Patil?s response to their complaints.
During their meeting with him here on Tuesday, they said Patil urged the NLFT delegation to ?continue the peace talks and the ceasefire.?
Jamatiya and other leaders said when they asked the Home Minister to start political dialogue, Patil told them that since the political issue was ?very sensitive, it will take a long time and therefore it was imperative that discussions are continued.?
Jamatiya said the IFMOT/NLFT thanked Patil for his ?constructive approach? towards finding a long-term solution to the problem.
The NLFT chief, a former rifleman with the Tripura State Rifles before joining the underground militant outfit, said his organisation favoured extension of the ceasefire for one more year ?to usher in peace? in the state.
He, however, demanded that the cadres should be allowed to keep their arms and ammunition inside the designated camps and the state government should not force them to deposit the weapons to security forces. This was necessary to maintain personal security of the cadres and leaders, he added.
At the meeting with Union Home Ministry and state officials, which started after their meeting with Patil, it was decided that the next round of meeting would be held in mid-December to conclude a formal agreement.