Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that more than 300 armed cadres of two insurgent groups in Tripura have given up violence to join the mainstream and will “contribute not only in building a developed Tripura but also in building a developed India”.
He said that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was removed from Tripura in 2015 itself and it has also been withdrawn from many parts of the Northeast. “Instead of deployment of armed forces, Modi government is committed to the development of the entire Northeast by preservation and development of the culture, languages, identity of Northeast, especially the tribal groups,” Mr. Shah said.
A Memorandum of Settlement was signed between the Government of India, Government of Tripura and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) in the presence of Mr. Shah on Wednesday.
“Under the agreement signed today with NLFT and ATTF, more than 328 armed cadres will give up violence and join the mainstream of society and contribute not only in building a developed Tripura but also in building a developed India. Government is making wholehearted efforts with due consideration to all sensitivities in implementation of all the agreements to ensure development of the area and eliminate the reasons responsible for people to take up arms,” Mr. Shah said.
He added that the Centre has approved a special package of ₹250 crore for the overall development of the tribal population of Tripura.
The NLFT and the ATTF reaffirmed their commitment towards the development of Tripura by ending 35-year-long conflict in the State, a statement by the Ministry said.
Per the agreement, the NLFT and the ATTF have agreed to abjure the path of violence, lay down arms and ammunition and disband their armed organisations. The armed cadre of NLFT and ATTF have also agreed to participate in peaceful democratic process established by the law and maintain the integrity of the country.
According to Tripura Police’s website, the NLFT, a banned organisation has been active since 1989. It says that the “tribal extremist outfit”, was formed under the leadership of Biswamohan Debbarma with the objective to liberate Tripura from the Union of India, to deport all foreigners who entered into Tripura after 1956 and to restore alienated tribal’s lands. The ATTF was formed in 1990 with similar objectives and demanded removal of names of illegal migrants from electoral roll who entered Tripura after 1956 and the implementation of the ‘Tripura Merger Agreement’ which came into force on October 15, 1949. While the NLFT is accused of killing more than 600 people, according to police records, the ATTF is responsible for the killing of more than 300 people and abduction of hundreds of people. They operate their camps from Bangladesh.
Mr. Shah said that after assuming the prime ministership, Narendra Modi has put forth the vision of a capable and developed Northeast through peace and dialogue. He said that Mr. Modi has not only bridged the distances between New Delhi and the Northeast through road, rail and flight connectivity, but also bridged the differences in their hearts.
He underlined that the peace pact is the 12th agreement for the Northeast and the third agreement related to Tripura in the past ten years. “Through these agreements, about 10,000 insurgents have joined the mainstream by giving up arms. The 12 agreements have been majorly instrumental in preventing loss of thousands of innocent lives,” he said.
Manik Saha, Chief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Deb, member of Parliament from the State and Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, the founder of the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) were also present at the signing of the peace pact.
Published - September 04, 2024 03:34 pm IST
