Agartala, May 2: One of the major militant organisations of Tripura has accused police and paramilitary forces of pressuring its members to surrender by unfairly targeting their family members. “Police officers and security personnel have been raiding the houses of Tiger Force activists and leaders and asking family members and relatives to make their wards surrender,” the All Tripura Tiger Force said in a statement mailed to newspaper offices.
Publicity secretary Bikash Koloi quoted Tiger Force chief Ranjit Debbarma as saying he would not respond to the peace overtures by the government until security forces stopped such acts of coercion.
In a telephonic interview on April 22, Debbarma laid down three conditions for peace talks. He said all “foreign nationals” who had entered Tripura after October 15, 1949, and whose names do not figure on the electoral rolls of 1952 should be deported. The militant leader also demanded the inclusion of “sovereignty of Tripura” in the agenda for talks and the presence of a United Nations observer.
On his father Krishan Kumar’s appeal to surrender, which was broadcast by All India Radio, Agartala, Debbarma said he and other members of his family, including his sisters, had been threatened into doing the police’s bidding. “The appeal was made under duress,” he said.
The police promptly refuted the allegation.
“This is blatant falsehood, possibly indulged in by Debbarma out of fear because most of the members of his outfit are keen to lay down arms,” director-general of police G.M. Srivastava said.