JIRANIA, Jan 27 ? Suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) (Biswamohan) militants massacred 11 non-tribals including women and children at Mandai Choumuhani, Jirania, in West Tripura district on the night of Republic Day celebration. Six more were injured in the attack and three of them are in serious condition, doctors said. All the deceased and injured were CPI(M) supporters. The area where the attack was committed is about 32 kms from capital Agartala and only about 6 kms from infamous Mandai where the 1980 June riots had taken place to mark the beginning of protracted militancy and ethnic violence in this North Eastern State.
CPM alleged that the attack was masterminded by the opposition Congress and its ally Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura which is reported to have been acting as ?political outfit? of the NLFT militants. Villagers say, the tribal militants with their faces covered and armed with sophisticated weapons stormed the non-tribal locality Mandai Choumuhani at around 7.35 pm night and opened indiscriminate firing. Two persons, including one woman, were shot dead on the spot while others succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
?It was then loadshedding time and as soon as the power was cut, the militants came out from a rubber plantation near the village and started blazing their guns. They were selective in raiding the houses of the CPM supporters and shooting down the party cadres. In fact three persons were gunned down while they were collecting subscription for the party?s election fund,? said Pradip Debnath, DYFI local committee secretary of Jirania.
?It was apparent that the militants were hell bent to create tension and drive out the non-tribals from the village which is pre-dominantly CPM supporting locality before the ensuing elections,? said Manik Dey, CITU leader and sitting CPM MLA who is also contesting the ensuing Assembly polls on February 26 next. He said that the villagers have also identified some non-tribals, who had been also involved in the massacre as the militants? scout. One among them has been specifically identified as Hussain Mian, a known criminal and alleged to be a supporter of a Congress candidate.
?Only five to seven minutes before the attack a Congress procession passed the area but the militants did not attack them. Moreover, only recently there was an indirect threat from the Congress-INPT on the CPM workers of the area,? Dey said and added that police were also informed about the intimidation.
Meanwhile, SP West Tripura said that a massive manhunt has been launched to round up the militants. Tripura State Rifles and other para military forces have swung into action last night itself. In view of high tension security arrangements were also beefed up with police and TSR deployment at all sensitive areas.