Tripura signs trilateral peace treaty with rebels

Taking a major step towards an insurgency-free Northeast, a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed in New Delhi between the Central and Tripura governments and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) facilitating the surrender of 88 terrorists of the banned outfit. After the signing of two previous peace accords, over 1,000 separatist tribal guerillas have surrendered to the government.

“NLFT (SD faction) has agreed to abjure the path of violence, join the mainstream and abide by the Indian Constitution. It has agreed that 88 NLFT cadres would surrender soon with their arms and ammunition,” the release said.

The government told the NLFT (SD) leaders that surrendered members of the outfit would be given surrender benefits as per the Union Home Ministry’s 2018 Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme.

“The Tripura Government would help the surrendered cadres in construction of their houses, recruitment in government jobs, educational facilities to their children. The central government would consider proposals of Tripura government to undertake economic development of tribal areas of the state”, the release added.

The NLFT has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 1997 and has been involved in violence, operating from their camps across the international border.

The NLFT has been responsible for violent activities including 317 terror incidents, killing 28 security forces and 62 civilians from 2005- 2015.

Peace talks with the NLFT were initiated in 2015. There has been no violence by the group since 2016. A top official of Tripura’s Home Department said the 88 NLFT (SD) extremists would likely surrender before the Tripura government on August 15 in Agartala.

“NLFT (SD) militants came to Tripura from their Bangladeshi camps earlier this month. The guerillas along with their family members now under the safe house of the security force in Tripura’s Dhalai district,” the official told IANS. This is the third peace accord signed with terrorists in Tripura in three decades. In 1988, the Union and Tripura governments signed a tripartite agreement with the outlawed Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) and, in 1993, the Left Front government signed a peace accord with All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF).