Six surrendered militants arrested for blocking national highway in Tripura

Six surrendered militants belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) were arrested on October 17 after allegedly blocking a national highway in West Tripura district to demand proper rehabilitation, police said.

Around 16 surrendered militants, led by Kaklaijoy Tripura, gathered at Hataikator and blocked the highway in the morning, police spokesperson Rajdeep Deb said.

An Executive Magistrate, Arajit Debbarma, was deputed to the spot and asked the protesters to lift the blockade, citing the ongoing festival season. However, they refused to comply, Deb said.

The magistrate subsequently declared the gathering illegal and directed security personnel to clear the highway, where vehicles carrying essential supplies were reportedly stranded on both sides.

According to the police spokesperson, the protesters allegedly resisted the security personnel and used criminal force to prevent them from enforcing the magistrate’s order, resulting in a scuffle. The highway was eventually cleared, and two police personnel sustained injuries in the incident.

Police registered a suo motu case against six surrendered militants for allegedly blocking the highway and using criminal force to obstruct security personnel from carrying out the magistrate’s order.

All six were arrested and produced before a local court, which remanded them to judicial custody until October 31, Deb said.