Insurgency / Tripura

AGARTALA, March 17: The Mizoram government's bid to link the repatriation of more than 31,000 Reang tribal refugees stranded in six North Tripura camps over the past three-and-a-half years to the issue of Bru militancy has dimmed the prospect of an early repatriation of refugees. Mizoram government's latest stand was made clear at a tripartite meeting held in Delhi between the chief secretaries of Mizoram, Tripura and senior officials of the Union home ministry. Mizoram chief secretary H.V. Lalringa said unless the Bru National Liberation Front stopped terrorist activities in Mizoram...

AIZAWL, March 16: The Mizoram government has said the Bru insurgent outfit must stop its activities and the Centre should provide adequate funds before repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura, reports PTI. State Home department sources said here on Friday, Mizoram Chief Secretary H V Lalringa told a high-level meeting in New Delhi that the State government cannot begin the repatriation process as it will mean bringing an armed insurgent group in the State. Top officials of Union Home ministry and the Chief Secretary of Tripura, took part in Thursday's meeting on Bru repatriation issue...

AIZAWL, March 14: Mizoram government is yet to give its reply to the offer for peace dialogue by the Bru National Front (BNLF), according to a top government officials, reports PTI. The officials who preferred to remain anonymous told PTI that the BNLF general secretary Solomon Prophul had written a letter to the state's Home Minister Tawnluia offering peace dialogue with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and representatives of the Bru Welfare Association of Mizoram. The BNLF also conditions for talks saying the venue should be outside Mizoram, either at Kolkata...

AGARTALA, March 13: The crisis in the Indigenous Peoples' Front of Tripura over the election of a new executive council and member has taken a turn for the worse with the murder of a party worker and direct interference by a militant outfit in the election process. The ousted chief executive member, Debabrata Koloi, who had been planning a revolt, was called by the "invisible allies" to the remote Vaishyamonipara and warned against defecting from the IPFT. Police sources said clashes broke out between rival groups owing allegiance to ousted chief Koloi and aspirant Sridam Debbarma after 23...

AIZAWL, March 13: Mizoram Government, on March 12 said that it was ready for any peace efforts to ensure that the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) shun the path of violence and come over-ground even as the BNLF sets a series of conditions for peaceful dialogue. State Home Minister Tawnluia told PTI here that the government wanted that all the BNLF cadres should bid farewell to arms and lead normal lives before the commencement of repatriation process of Bru refugees from Tripura. "Any arrangement to bring all the BNLF militants overground is welcomed including a well organised dialogue'...

AGARTALA, March 11: Killing for ransom has assumed macabre proportions in Tripura. The skeleton of a 16-year-old boy, abducted last year, was exhumed from Koaiphang area in South Tripura yesterday. The recovery sparked tension in the area. Police sources said Mohini Lal Kar, a non-tribal Class X student of Koaiphang school, was abducted on December 6 last year by a group of NLFT militants. His father Niranjan Kar, a teacher, ran from pillar to post to trace his son, but failed to do so. Two NLFT militants Dhani Mohan Tripura and Arendra Tripura, who were arrested by Baikhora police on March 5...

AGARTALA, March 8: The Sanathan Dharma Parishad, an affiliate of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, will form Dharma Suraksha Samiti units in Tripura to protect tribal and non-tribal Hindus from persecution by the National Liberation Front of Twipra. Stating this at a news conference here today, VHP international president Ashok Singhal said the units would comprise about 15 "unarmed volunteers" each. They would be engaged in the task of protecting Hindus in a peaceful and non-violent way, he said. Replying to a question, he said the VHP would launch its reconversion drive in the Northeast also as in...

AGARTALA, March 3: In a new twist to the current insurgency problem, the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants, comprising Reang tribals living in Tripura and Mizoram, have turned against Tripuri tribals living in Hailakandi subdivision of Barak valley in Assam. Altogether seven Tripuri tribal families comprising 46 members have recently taken shelter in Gandacherra subdivision of Dhalai district, after being driven away from Durgapur village under Lalghat police station of Hailakandi district. These families are eking out a sub-human living in remote Bhagirath para village of...

AGARTALA, March 3: The performance of the Central Reserve Police Force in counter-insurgency operations in Tripura leaves a lot to be desired. This is evident from the ambush carried out by the National Liberation Front of Twipra this morning. Altogether 11 CRPF jawans, including two drivers, were gunned down by the rebels in the ambush. Police sources said altogether five vehicles carrying CRPF jawans had left the Bampur area for Ampi but the gap between vehicles in the convoy was such that when two jeeps came under attack, the jawans in the other vehicles failed to come to their rescue...

HAILAKANDI, March 3: The Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF), a militant outfit of Reang (Bru) communities, has asked the Mizoram government to initiate peace parleys with it by declaring a ceasefire in the state. The BNLF has been demanding the creation of a Bru homeland within the State of Mizoram. The organising secretary of the outfit, S Bru through a press statement also warned that if the authorities concerned fail to respond positively to its demand, the organisation may be forced to carry out subversive activities in and around Mizoram. The BNLF leader further said that the onus of...