Agartala: A report prepared by Tripura and central security agencies has claimed that the National Liberation Front of Tripura – outlawed in 1997 – has been active in the state from neighbouring Bangladesh.
The NLFT is an insurgent group which was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
This report was prepared during a recent meeting in Agartala and shared with The Wire by sources in Tripura Police who requested anonymity. It stated that most leaders of the Biswa Mohan faction of the NLFT are in Bangladesh.
“Deliberating upon inputs related to leadership profiling, organisational structure, and camps of NLFT (BM), the present strength of NLFT (BM) outfits are about 40 and their leaders are mostly in Bangladesh,” the report stated.
The report said that outfit advisor Biswa Mohan Debbarma is in Mizoram. Out of other leaders, Jacob Hrawngkhal is in Myanmar and all others including Sonadhan Debbarma, the finance secretary, and Sachin Debbarma who is in charge of youth affairs, culture, and agriculture, are in Bangladesh.
Upendra Reang who is the council member currently looking after organisation since secretary-general Utpal Debbarma’s arrest, is also in Bangladesh.
Also read: No ‘Unusual Increase’ in Apprehension of ‘Illegal Infiltrators’ Along Bangladesh Border
The report highlighted that the NLFT had begun activity in Tripura in March 2021. However, since then, a worker of the group has surrendered and remaining workers have gone back to Bangladesh.
Four cadres of NLFT surrender before DGP of Police V.S. Yadav on December 24, 2020. Photo: Twitter
“A small group led by Dilip Debbarma has influence in Baramura Ranges, Khowai, Champahour, Mugiakami, Teliamura Police Stations under Khowai District and subsequently, the movement of this group is observed in Ganganagar, Raishyabari, Gandachera and Chawmanu under district Dhalai (sic),” the report said.
Two camps at Silchari and Ujjanchari in Rangamati district of Bangladesh house two safe houses respectively called ‘Dhaka Safe House’ and another is ‘Chittagong Safe House’.
“Besides that, the Segunbagan transit camp in Bangladesh is functional from October 2020 onwards. This camp has no permanent infrastructure and mostly they have built some Bamboo structures. All the cadres used open spaces and some polythene sheets to sleep during the night in rainy season (sic),” the report said.
While the security agencies have claimed that the outfit is still active, it is reeling from financial crises. Several groups in the outfit are reportedly planning to intensify extortion and kidnapping operations to raise funds.
“They are planning to serve extortion notice[s] through their cadres who have undergone training in the recent past at Nabakchhara, Silchhari and Segunbagan camps in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh,” the report said, noting that they have returned to and are scattered across Tripura.
The report also claimed that the NLFT (BM) group had also tried to influence the election process during Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council polls held in April 2021 but were foiled by security forces.
Also read: Tripura: Major Blow for BJP-IPFT as Pradyot’s TIPRA Sweeps District Council Polls
Tripura shares a 856-kilometre long semi-porous international border with Bangladesh, some portions of which are still unfenced, especially parts of the Dhalai district. These regions are reportedly used by militants, cross-border smugglers, and undocumented migrants to enter India.
The NLFT was formed in 1989 with an objective to liberate Tripura from the Union of India, to deport all foreigners who entered into Tripura after 1956 and to restore alienated tribal’s lands.
Police believe that large numbers of tribal youths in Tripura are taken to NLFT hideouts in Bangladesh and imparted training in handling arms and explosives. More than 600 people have been killed by NLFT, police believe, and huge quantities of arms were looted. The outfit also abducted over 700 people for ransom.
Sabir Kumar Debbarma surrenders in front of Tripura CM Biplab Deb. Debbarma led 88 cadres in surrendering in 2019. Photo: Twitter
On August 14, 2019, around 88 cadres of NLFT surrendered with arms. The group was led by Subir Kumar Debbarma then. In 2021, more than 10 cadres and associates have been arrested and have surrendered in Tripura.
On December 7, 2021, the banned group kidnapped three NPCC construction workers who were later released.