Tripura: Militancy affected families protest demanding rehabilitation and compensation

Representatives of non-tribal internally displaced people, who have been affected by militancy for decades, gathered in front of the office of West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector demanding for government recognition with proper rehabilitation and compensation.

The representatives who came from two districts of Tripura, carried out the protest under the banner of Sarbadalia Paschim Jela Oh Sepahijala Jela Udbastu Unnayan Committee.

Hundreds of non-tribal families originally from various remote areas of West Tripura district and Sepahijala district have been displaced in between the year 1996 to 2000 when the tribal insurgency was on its peak in Tripura.  

The agitators sought status and recognition as ‘Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) for 6500 families, who were rendered homeless due to an armed tribal insurgency in the past two decades. 

They also demanded government rehabilitation along with cash compensation of Rs 5 lakh per family.
Sajal Poddar, president of the Sarbadalia Paschim Tripura Oh Sepahijala District Udbastu Unnayan Committee said, “Between the years 1996 to 2000 some 6500 Bengali families have been displaced due to militancy from Jampuijala, Takarjala, Gabardi, Anandanagar, Jirania, Sambari Bazar, Briddhi Bazar and few other areas. During the last 19 to 20 years we have been living in temporary camps in two districts and in 2017 after massive agitation only 179 families got rehabilitation in four colonies at Nagicherra, Dakhin Narayanpur, Nehalchandranagar and Pritilata with free two ganda land a Rs 1.30 lakh to build house under PMAY. Remaining families are still homeless and living in pathetic condition. Today we met the ADM and submitted our memorandum for the DM and shall wait for a week to see what is their response.”
 
Meantime, Gopal Laskar, chairman of the displaced peoples committee said, “We are homeless for the last more than twenty years as due to militancy and now our first demand is that we get recognition from the government as militancy affected-victim. Our second demand is rehabilitation and thirdly Rs five lakh compensation for the militant affected families."
 
He added: "During the previous CPIM government we were displaced due to insurgency and during that time also we had agitated on our demands but nothing happened. Now we are appealing with our demands to the new state government. Around 6500 families of West and Sepahijala are there with us.”
 
Thousands of the non-tribal section of people in Tripura during the years of 1996 to 2000 was forced to evacuate to safer places as they were the main target of the tribal militants who claimed to fight for an independent Tripura.     
 
Earlier there have been similar rallies in demand of government rehabilitation of the militancy-affected displaced people but till now there has been no move from the administration part.