Tripura rebels withdraw rail-road blockade after CM's intervention

A rail and road blockade called by two former insurgent groups in Tripura over delays in the implementation of a rehabilitation package was withdrawn on Friday following the intervention of Chief Minister Manik Saha.

The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), both signatories to a peace agreement with the Centre and the State government, had launched a 72-hour blockade from 6 a.m., disrupting train services and vehicular movement on key highways in West Tripura district.

The protest, however, was called off around 2 p.m. after Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, accompanied by senior police officials, conveyed the Chief Minister's appeal to the protesters.

“We called off the blockade following the request of the chief minister who is in Delhi. On behalf of the CM, the tribal welfare minister assured us that there will be a high-level meeting to address our issues,” NLFT leader Parimal Debbarma told reporters.

According to the rebel leader, the proposed meeting is expected to be chaired by the Chief Minister and attended by the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the Tribal Welfare Minister.

The former insurgent groups have been demanding the implementation of a Rs 250-crore rehabilitation package approved by the Centre as part of the peace accord signed in September 2024 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The organisations alleged that the process of screening former cadres for benefits under the rehabilitation package has been progressing slowly. They also objected to the government's decision to engage an external agency for implementing the package, claiming it was contrary to the spirit of the agreement.

“We had a meeting with the minister yesterday where we reached some positive outcomes. But two important demands were not fulfilled, prompting us to launch the rail-road blockade,” Debbarma said.

The blockade affected rail connectivity and brought vehicular movement to a halt on the Assam-Agartala and Agartala-Kamalpur national highways for several hours before normalcy was restored following the withdrawal of the agitation.

Tripura witnessed decades of insurgency, particularly during the 1990s, with the NLFT and ATTF among the major militant outfits seeking a separate tribal homeland. Both organisations later entered into peace negotiations with the government.