In order to end violence and bring peace in India’s North East (NE), a peace agreement was signed between the Central & Tripura Governments and two insurgent groups of the state on 4 September 24. The government signed a Memorandum of Settlement in New Delhi with representatives of two insurgent groups active in the state of Tripura, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF). The peace agreement was signed in the presence of Shri Amit Shah, Home Minister, Shri Manik Saha, CM Tripura and leadership of NLFT and AFFT. The agreement is another milestone to bring peace and stability in the entire NE region.
Tripura is an important state of India’s NE. The state is bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south and west, a total 856 km of the Indo-Bangladesh boundary. Assam and Mizoram are located to its north east. Tripura was a princely state and it merged with the Indian Union in 1949. Bengali and Tripuri are two main languages. The state is rich in natural gas, rubber, tea and limestone. The cottage industry is famous for cane and bamboo products, as also jewellery and handloom items. About 75 per cent of the 40-lakh population in the state is dependent on agriculture for livelihood. Almost 83 per cent of the state population is Hindu, followed by about 9 per cent being Muslim.
Even when insurgency in the NE was at its peak in states like Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam, Tripura remained relatively peaceful till early 1980s. The early trends can be picked up after formation of Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) in 1981. The National Front of Tripura (NLFT) was formed in March 1989 and its armed wing All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) came up in July 1990. Both the outfits came up with a secessionist agenda. The basic emotive issue was of tribal versus non tribals. The tribals who once were majority in the state had become minority and lack of holistic development in the state had brought a sense of disgruntlement. The land reforms had not happened as per the Tripura Land Reform Act of 1960. The insurgent groups could exploit gaps in Indo-Bangladesh border and they established safe havens inside Bangladesh, where they could be armed with weapons and explosives.
The 1980s, particularly the latter half was violent in Tripura. Central government had to intervene and Army, Assam Rifles and Para military forces had to launch all out effort to fight the insurgency, particularly with ATTF. As a result of intense operations, the period from 1990 to 1995 was relatively peaceful in Tripura. But once again with the support of powers in Bangladesh and arming of the insurgents by China, the period between 1996 to 2004 witnessed high level of violence which disrupted the normal life in Tripura. There was virtually no development in this period and the state remained in disturbed state for a decade.
The central and state forces reoriented the strategy and launched offensive action based on credible intelligence. At the same time, the forces and the state administration also revived the development projects. Once the situation improved, the Army withdrew from the scene and central para military forces were empowered to deal with the security situation. Some good civic action programmes were launched which won the hearts and minds of the people. Psychological operations were also launched to explain the futility of violence and wean away fringe elements from insurgency. An attractive surrender policy from the Ministry of Home Affairs also induced large number of armed cadres, particularly women cadre to join the mainstream.
From 2004 onwards, the graph of insurgency in Tripura remained at a manageable level. The Look East Policy also contributed to the path of peace and prosperity. More importantly, the operations from security forces acquired more professional approach and cases of human rights violation came down drastically. By this time, Mizoram had become completely peaceful and this also had a rub off effect on the people of Tripura. Once Modi 1.0 government came to power in 2014, the security situation in Tripura was reviewed in view of the impetus to be granted to the more proactive Act East Policy. And by the year 2015, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was withdrawn from the complete state of Tripura.
With Sheikh Hasina government in power in Bangladesh, the safe havens of ATTF and other fringe groups located there were destroyed. In 2017, two prominent insurgent leaders Biswamohan Debbarma and Ranjit Debbarma were handed over by Bangladesh to the Indian government. Slowly most of the active cadres of ATTF and NLFT came overground and joined the mainstream. It was a matter of time before both the groups realised the futility of armed struggle and around 400 cadres surrendered on 4 September.
The timing of the peace agreement, which has ended nearly 35 years of insurgency in the state of Tripura is most significant. With the ouster of Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on 5 August this year, Tripura could have been a vulnerable spot in the India’s NE. Tripura remains an important link to the peace and stability in the region. Other than Mizoram, it is now a bright spot where genuine development, concern for tribal rights and land reforms has ushered normalcy. With this agreement, Government of India has entered into 12 peace pacts with various insurgent groups in the NE. Most of these pacts are holding though the events in Manipur are a setback. The ethnic fault lines in the NE are still vulnerable and much more needs to be done with a sensitive approach to the challenges at hand.
Home Minister Amit Shah has confirmed that Rs. 2500 crore development package for India’s NE has been fully utilised and implemented. A separate financial package of Rs 250 crore has been catered for Tripura post this peace agreement. Under the changed dynamics in our neighbourhood, the success of such pacts for the desired domino effect in the NE would be critical for our national security calculus. The security forces and the state administration have to remain alive to the challenges ahead and take proactive measures for a peaceful, prosperous and developed Tripura.
Comments