Tripura: Congress seeks White Paper on surrender of 584 militants

Eleven days after the surrender of 584 extremists of two militant outfits, the opposition Congress in Tripura on Friday demanded to publish a White Paper containing details on the surrendered militants and their involvement in militant activities.

Tripura state unit Congress President Asish Kumar Saha said that former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb (2018-2022), now Lok Sabha member, after the BJP came to power in 2018, asserted that the militancy problem was over and even incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha echoed similar views.

"When according to Deb and Saha, militancy was over in Tripura several years back, from where suddenly such a large number of militants emerged ? We want to know what type of militant activities they were involved in before the surrender," the state Congress chief told the media.

He said that people want to know how many cases and what type of cases are pending against the surrendered militants.

"People of Tripura are keen to know from the state government about these surrendered militants and their role in the militancy period. The state government should publish White Paper detailing about these surrendered militants," the Congress leader said.

Commenting on the package, sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the returnees, Saha said that neither the Central, nor the state government did not take any steps or announce any scheme to provide financial benefit to the large number of people who were killed, injured and displaced from their homes due to militancy in Tripura.

Despite a series of agitations by the militancy victims and displaced people, the state government and the Centre have not taken any negligible initiative for these hapless people, the Congress leader said and demanded to provide rehabilitation and announcement of financial package for them who had left their houses and properties due to militancy.

Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar (1998 to 2018) on Thursday said that during Left Front government tenure, the militancy was largely tamed.

"After many years, from where such a large number of extremists came, where they stayed for so many years and are all genuine militants?" Sarkar asked.

On September 24, altogether 584 extremists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) outfits surrendered and deposited before the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha at a surrender ceremony at the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) seventh battalion headquarters at Jampuijala in Sepahijala district.

Officials of the Home Department said that a few hundred more cadres of the two outfits would join the mainstream soon.

The militants of both the outfits have deposited 168 arms, including many sophisticated weapons and a large cache of different types of ammunition.

The militants surrendered to the Tripura government after the signing of the peace agreement with the Centre and Tripura government in Delhi on September 4 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister, other political leaders and officials of the MHA and Tripura government.

According to the agreement, each surrendered NLFT and ATTF cadre would get Rs 6,000 per month for three years and these cadres would be given priority in various employment generation works in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and rural development, the official said referring to the provisions of the agreement.

The surrendered militants would stay in a designated camp for three years and during this period they would be provided skill training in various trades. Apart from this Rs 4 lakh would be deposited in the bank account of each surrendered militant, and the amount can be withdrawn only after three years by the beneficiaries.

He said that under the September 4 agreement, signed with the two outlawed militant outfits, a special package of Rs 250 crore has been approved by the MHA.