Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Agartala: Normalcy returned to Tripura on Friday afternoon as surrendered members of former insurgent groups withdrew a blockade that had paralyzed road and rail travel across the state. The protest, led by ex-members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force, began early Friday morning at Chandrasadhu Para in the Hatai Kotor Hills. The disruption left hundreds of commuters stranded, forcing many to travel long distances on foot.
The agitators initiated the blockade to protest delays in the implementation of a tripartite peace accord signed on September 4, 2024. Former cadres expressed frustration over slow progress regarding promised rehabilitation measures, income-generation schemes, and a Special Economic Development Package. Prasenjit Debbarma, a leader from the former NLFT faction, noted that previous attempts to communicate with officials were ignored. “We had submitted a letter to the government on June 1 and given seven days for a response. As no response was received, we were compelled to launch this protest. We do not want to create inconvenience, but our concerns have remained unaddressed,” Debbarma said.
West Tripura Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak oversaw security efforts while the protests were active. He confirmed that while transport was blocked at several key locations, the atmosphere remained orderly. “The situation remains peaceful at present. There are road blockades at three locations and a rail blockade at one location. Security arrangements have been made at all affected points,” Pathak stated.
The impasse concluded following a meeting at Baramura between group representatives and Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma. The minister stated that the government has already made progress on many of the requested items and pledged to resolve remaining issues through continued negotiations. With the discussions concluded, the groups agreed to clear the roads and tracks, allowing public transit to resume.
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