Insurgency / Tripura

AGARTALA, March 31: Infighting in the National Liberation Front of Twipra intensified with commander Nayanbasi Jamatya reportedly "capturing" several of the outfit's camps in Bangladesh. Jamatya, along with a large section of the cadre, had revolted against the NLFT leadership last month. According to sources, he has gained control over the outfit's hideouts in the Sylhet, Srimangal and Maulavi Bazar districts of that country. Jamatya was recently joined by erstwhile "NLFT political advisor" Jogendra alias Joshua Debbarma. The incidents following the vertical split in the outfit were reported...

AGARTALA, March 27: Justice N.S. Singh of the Agartala bench of the Gauhati High Court today issued notices to the state and Union governments, asking why compensation of Rs 15 lakh should not be awarded to five civilians who were tortured by security forces. The non-tribal civilians were physically tortured by Assam Rifles jawans in the name of counter-insurgency operations in Kanchanpur subdivision on May 3 last year. The five non-tribals had been rounded up by Assam Rifles and brutally tortured after being taken to its camps. They sustained serious physical injuries and later filed a writ...

AGARTALA, March 25: The beleaguered National Liberation Front of Twipra launched the three recent ambushes in desperate bids to gain lost ground. The outfit has been hit by widespread dissent among its cadre. However, police and security forces in the state were confident of defeating the outfit's designs, director-general of police Bhusan Lal Vohra told newsmen yesterday. Vohra, currently preparing an action plan against the NLFT, is the key man behind rejuvenating the state police. He said the recent ambushes were a "seasonal phenomenon". "During this time of the year, it is easy for the...

AGARTALA, March 24: Militants belonging to the outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) have struck once again at Shikaribari area in Dhalai district this morning at around 8 am, killing two CRPF jawans and three civilians in an ambush on a passenger convoy on Assam-Agartala highway. The militants also decamped with one carbine, one SLR and one wireless set from the slain CRPF men. Seven were injured in the attack. This is the second major ambush on security forces and civilians carried out by the same militant outfit in one week and the third one this month. Only on March 21 the...

AGARTALA, March 23: The outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra is trying to strengthen its links with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council of Meghalaya. The move is believed to be aimed at ensuring the safety of NLFT activists who have to go to the Meghalaya capital for medical treatment and other purposes. Official sources said NLFT "commanders" Rajkanta Debbarma and Upendra Debbarma visited Shillong last week and met HNLC chief Julius Donkuper. The NLFT duo reportedly sought permission to set up a well-equipped transit camp in Shillong or any other "safe area" within Meghalaya...

AGARTALA, March 23: The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura has put an end to its internal disputes under pressure from the NLFT. A rapprochement has been reached among its warring factions. The rebel outfit wants Indigenous People's Front of Tripura leaders to "work unitedly in hill people's interest." Debabrata Koloy, a senior Indigenous People's Front of Tripura leader, had resigned as the autonomous council's chief executive member on 9 March following an infighting over leadership within the party. Earlier, the party chief, Harinath Devbarma, along with other IPFT members met the...

AGARTALA, March 21: Outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra militants gunned down four BSF jawans and seven General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) personnel in a daring ambush in the remote Moracherra area in North Tripura district this morning. Sources said 14 people were injured in the incident, including five jawans of the BSF's 27th battalion. The militants took away a light machine gun, a mortar and a wireless set from the security forces. The injured have been rushed to G.B. Hospital in Agartala. Three of them are in a critical condition. Sources said a large group of NLFT rebels...

SILCHAR, March 21: In a bid to pave the way for a dialogue with the insurgent groups, the Tripura government is considering a Nagaland-type ceasefire in the insurgency-ravaged state. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told The Telegraph today that the Centre should immediately take the initiative in this regard. Sarkar kicked off the CPM's campaign for the ensuing Assam Assembly polls at the Gandhi Park here. However, the Centre should ensure before announcing the truce that the rebels observe the ceasefire rules, he said. Proper ground rules should also be framed for monitoring the ceasefire...

AGARTALA, March 20: Police today confirmed the death of the National Liberation Front of Twipra's self-styled "defence minister" Utparna Tripura last week. NLFT "commander" Nayanbasi Jamatya has stated in fax messages sent to local dailies that the outfit's "official" faction, comprising leaders like Mantu Koloi, Dhanu Koloi, Biswa Mohan Debbarma, had engaged Utparna Tripura to "eliminate" him. Tripura as well as another cadre reached the camp where Nayanbasi was staying but were shot dead. Nayanbasi recently fled the outfit's headquarters in Thangnan area under Chittagong Hill Tracts in...

AGARTALA, March 19: Making fresh disclosures about the infighting in the National Liberation Front of Twipra, senior NLFT commander Nayanbasi Jamatya lashed out at the outfit's official faction. Jamatya, who left the outfit's hideout in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh last month, said in a fax message to the local media that the former chief executive member of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) and senior leader of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) Debabrata Koloi met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi with a proposal for peace negotiations. Senior IPFT leader...