Insurgency / Tripura

AGARTALA, February 28: state government has received Rs 6.42 crore for police modernisation from 1995-96 to 1999-2000. Other than that the state government has also received ammunition and devices worth Rs 18.26 crore. Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar who is also in charge of the Home department, in a written answer said this to Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath's question. In another answer to the question of TUJS, MLA, Ratimohan Jamatia, the Chief Minister said, from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2000, police arrested 270 militants and 1051 collaborators. At the same time, 85 police personnel were...

AGARTALA, March 3: Militants of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), in its first major strike this year, gunned down 11 CRPF personnel and two civilian drivers this morning at Daluma in South Tripura district. The militants also decamped with nine sophisticated weapons from the slain jawans and three jawans have been admitted in Udaipur hospital in a serious condition. Police said the jawans from 4th battalion CRPF stationed at Bampur, near Amarpur, had a tip-off that a gang of NLFT militants was moving in the area. Acting on this information, the jawans set off on five...

AGARTALA, February 26: Concerned at the relentless onslaughts on Hindu activists and institutions by the NLFT militants, the VHP and other Sangh Parivar members have decided to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to counter the menace. It is organising a Sanatan Dharma Sammelan on March 8 at Astabal where top religious leaders of the country are expected to be present. Among the prominent leaders expected to be present during the sammelan are the VHP international president Ashok Singhal; Mathadhish of Gorkshanath Math, Gorkahpur; Mahanta Avaidyanth and Mathadhish Paramartha of the Sadhak...

AIZAWL, February 25: Assam Rifles authorities in Tripura's Kanchanpur refused to hand over Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) leaders, who escaped from the clutches of National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) and surrendered to the Assam Rifles about a month back, police said. Top Mamit district police officials told PTI over phone that they had been urging the Assam Rifles authorities in Kanchanpur to hand over Surjo Moni and Hmunsiama, president and deputy commander respectively of the BNLF, to the Mizoram police.

AGARTALA, February 22: The outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra has admitted that its policy of forced conversion of Hindu tribals to Christianity had backfired. The outfit also blamed a former advisor for its religious policy. The admission came in the form of a statement faxed to a local daily, which said religious insurgency had created rumblings of dissent among NLFT cadre. This also resulted in "senior commander" Nayanbasi Jamatya deserting the outfit along with a few followers. In the statement issued yesterday, NLFT's "information secretary" M.R. Tuijang blamed its political...

AGARTALA, February 22: Altogether 17 militants of the Tripura National Security Force, a subsidiary of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra, formally laid down arms this morning. The surrender ceremony was held in front of CRPF inspector-general Vageesh Misra at the CRPF second battalion's headquarters at Narsingarh in Sadar subdivision. The 17 militants, led by Kiranjay Reang, used to work as NLFT collaborators by collecting "tax" and abducting people on a commission basis. They had got in touch with CRPF units in different parts of the state. The CRPF authorities finally rounded...

AIZAWL, February 20: The repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura would begin after the activists of National Liberation Front (BNLF) come overground and lay down their arms, Mizoram Home Minister Tawnluia said. The State Government was ready for return of all the refugees, sheltered in Tripura camps, who were bonafide residents of Mizoram but the Bru rebel groups would have to lay down arms and return to normal lives first, an official release quoted Tawnluia as saying so on Friday. Leaders of the Bru Welfare Committee met the Minister on Friday and apprised Tawnluia of the miseries and...

AGARTALA, February 18: In a significant development, the outlawed militant organisation National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) suffered a vertical split on ethnic lines again. Nayanbasi Jamatia, a top NLFT leader from the beginning, has deserted the outfit with 12 followers, all belonging to the Jamatia community, to surrender before the Assam Rifles. The desertion of one of the most dreaded guerrillas of the organisation has served a severe blow to the NLFT. The group may surrender formally to Assam Rifles next week. According to reports, Nayanbasi and his followers fled from the NLFT...

AIZAWL, February 18: It could beat even a Bollywood pot-boiler for its thrilling suspense. Executing the daring plan, which could have risked those who were involved, president of the underground Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) Suryamani Reang and his deputy escaped from deep inside Bangladesh where the National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) was allegedly keeping them hostage since July, 2000. It is still unknown how the two managed to escape from the heavily-guarded NLFT camp, but authoritative sources claimed that the two made good their plan with the help of two sentries of Reang...

AGARTALA, February 8: The Hoda (village council), a powerful apex body of the Jamatiya tribe, today pledged its support to the Tripura Government in fighting militancy in the state. Addressing newspersons, Hoda chief Bikram Bahadur Jamatiya said, "We will not allow any outfit be it National Liberation Front of Twipra or All Tripura Force to destroy peace in our community. The Hoda would not also tolerate any attempt by the political parties to persuade Hoda volunteers just to satisfy their political hunger," he warned. The Hoda leader was referring to the statement made by a section of the...