Tripura: Surrendered extremists block Assam-Agartala highway, demand fulfilment of 21-point charter

Traffic on the Assam-Agartala National Highway came to a standstill on Tuesday as the Tripura United Indigenous Revolutionary Peoples’ Council (TUIRPC), a group of surrendered extremists, staged a dawn-to-dusk blockade at Hatai Kotor in West Tripura District. 
 

The demonstrators demanded the immediate fulfilment of a 21-point charter, alleging government neglect of their rehabilitation and welfare.
 

Speaking on the matter, TUIRPC leader Daniel Borok Debbarma, after their surrender and the peace pact signed with the government, said that most of the promises not yet fulfilled.
 

“The government has promised us so many things, but nothing has been fulfilled yet. Many demands are still pending, and that’s why we have blockaded the road as a form of protest. We have 21 charter points of demands. These demands are not new but old. This is the fifth time we have been protesting by blocking the road,” he said.
 

He also stated that the Central government had assured them of fulfilling their demands during their surrender, but now they are nowhere to be seen.
 

“Our demands include the removal of all court and police cases against us. Even now, the police summon us for various cases. We were supposed to get pucca houses, but nothing has been received. We want our names in Roman script for the Kokborok language, which is currently in the Bengali script. There should be provisions for water, power, and roads in areas where rehabilitation is underway. The government must also provide free education to our children from Class 1 to the university level,” he added.
 

The strike, which started early in the morning, halted hundreds of vehicles during the protest. However, in the evening, the protesters lifted the blockade.
 

Speaking on the bandh, Jirania Sub-divisional Police Officer Kamal Krishna Kalai said that the road blockade was peaceful and sufficient force was deployed to maintain law and order.
 

“They have had a meeting with the civil administration and later they lifted the blockade. So far, everything is peaceful,” he added.