Agartala, Dec. 25: The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) has driven out 72 tribal families from their homes in remote areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for failing to pay ?tax? to the outfit. The families, belonging to the backward Noatia community, were displaced from their ancestral homes in remote Khagendra Roaja Para and Shikaribari villages under Kamalpur subdivision as they pleaded their inability to pay ?tax? at the rate of Rs 200 per month per family.
Police sources said on December 14 night 20 militants swooped down on the village and drove out the villagers after beating them indiscriminately. The militants also threatened the villagers with dire consequences if they tried to return to their homes without clearing the ?dues?. The tribal families later took shelter in Chhawmanu and Shikaribari. The administration has given Rs 200 as assistance to each displaced family.
TTAADC chief executive member Hirendra Kumar Tripura said he had brought the matter to the notice of the state government. Tripura said the council was trying to provide minimum assistance to the displaced villagers. More than 200 Reang tribal families were ousted from their homes in remote Karbook areas of South Tripura early this month following their decision not to pay ?tax? to the NLFT.
The Reangs in Bagafa escaped any attack because of tight security by the police, but the tribal people in Karbook were assaulted and forced to take shelter in the local high school while some fled to the adjoining areas. South Tripura district magistrate M. Nagaraju had visited the areas.
Elsewhere, eight tribal children died of malaria and enteric diseases in Shikaribari and Chhawmanu recently.