Incidents and Statements involving NLFT: 2013

Date

Nature of incident

January 13

Dhalai District in Tripura

North Tripura District of Tripura

One militant belonging to NLFT-BM identified as Nitush Debbarma (25) alias Naikhol, surrendered before SFs at BOP under Vangmun Police Station. The militant deposited One Carbine, 03 Magazines and 90 round ammunitions of Carbine.

NS

ULFA-ATF and NDFB-IKS along with nine other militant outfits of the northeast called for boycott of Republic Day celebrations on January 26 and blamed the Government of covert military operations.

The other groups includes CorCom, the umbrella body of seven militant groups of Manipur, NLFT and Tripura People's Democratic Front,[Political organisation representing (ATTF)].

SFs arrested a businessman, identified as Sandip Roy Barman (49) alias Pantha, along with illegal arms, ammunition and an unspecified amount of Bangladesh currency from Jirania under Jirania Police Station in West Tripura District. SFs also recovered a few letterheads of the NLFT. The arrestee is the elder brother of State Congress committee president, Sudip Roy Barman.

Militants of NLFT have stepped up extortion activities in at least four Assembly constituencies - Kanchanpur, Chhawmanu, Raima Valley and Karbook. Sources in the Special Branch (Intelligence Wing) of the State Police said over the past week, three large NLFT militant groups, comprising 15 militants each and led by Malindra Reang, Bipan Koloi and Debasish Uchoi have been moving in the interior villages of the four constituencies distributing "tax" notices and threatening people with dire consequences unless they pay up.

An exchange of gunfire between SFs and suspected NLFT militants was reported from at Rajasen Cherra. SFs recovered an AK-47 magazine containing 15 rounds from the spot.

SFs arrested a NLFT militant, along with two collaborators of the banned outfit, at Kanchanpur motor stand in North Tripura District. SFs recovered a cheque of INR 1.3 million and mobile phones from the trio. The arrested NLFT militant was identified as Paul Hrankhwal, while the collaborators were identified as Ashit Deb and Ratanjoy Reang of Ananda Bazar area. Police arrested the accused when they were on their way to Jampui hill in the eastern part of Tripura bordering Mizoram.

Five labourers, who were working in a road construction at Dampa Tiger Reserve on the Mizoram-Bangladesh-Tripura border under Mamit District, were abducted by armed militants. Militants have demanded INR 10 million as ransom for their release. While the state police said the abductors were NLFT-BM militants, YMA leaders of West Phaileng said the abductors were a group of Brus (Reang tribesman), who called themselves WNDLFM.

With abductors threatening to kill five labourers abducted from Dampa tiger reserve in Mamit District on February 19, a meeting chaired by State Home Minister R. Lalzirliana has demanded that they be released unconditionally. NLFT-BM militants are suspected to be behind the abduction.

Dhalai District in Tripura

NLFT militants abducted a woman chairperson of an elected village committee, Bhagyarani Tripura (27), along with an elected member from Malda Kumar Roajapara village under Ganganagar Police Station in Dhalai District. The other victim was identified as Debendra Tripura (45). "The militants abducted the two because part of the border in Malda Kumar Roajapara is still unfenced. A search operation is on under the supervision of Dhalai District Superintendent of Police (SP) L. Darlong but the hostages could not be rescued because they had been taken across the border," Das said. He added that the NLFT had served hefty "tax" notices on Bhagyarani and Debendra and ordered them to hand over the money from the development fund allotted for the village committee.

North Tripura District of Tripura

Three deserted trucks were found by Police near Khantlang border outpost under Bhangmun Police Station in of North Tripura District. The Police said the drivers had been abducted and taken across the border to the CHT of Bangladesh. The drivers are still unidentified but an inquiry is on.

North Tripura District of Tripura

Three drivers allegedly abducted by NLFT militants on April 2 were identified as Swapan Chandra Das of Pillak Baikhora, Nitish Gosh of Fulchari, Kamalpur and Gita Reang. The incident occurred near Amar BOP in North Tripura District.

Agartala in Tripura

Police are still clueless about the five persons who were abducted from two places in North Tripura and Dhalai Districts on April 2.

West Tripura District in Tripura

SFs arrested three NLFT militants, Swapan Jara, Bikash Jara and Manoj Debbarma, all in their mid-twenties from Radhanagar bus stop in Agartala. They was being taken to the border area of South Tripura to cross over to the NLFT hideout in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh by two surrendered NLFT militants, identified as Shukram and Sushil Debbarma, who fled from the bus stop on seeing the Police.

Dhalai District of Tripura

A 'commander' of NLFT-BM laid down arms before the Police in Gandacherra in Dhalai District. Police said, Sanjit Tripura (32) alias Saka of Hazacherra deposited one INSAS rifle, 3 magazines and 179 live rounds to the Gandacherra Police.

Earlier, Sanjit Tripura escaped from NLFT-BM hideout in Bangladesh and contacted with local Police authorities and expressed his desire to bid adieu to the arms. Police added that he is being interrogated.

Agartala in West Tripura District

Tripura IGP Nepal Das claimed that due to the current political turmoil in Bangladesh and logistics trouble in the State, NLFT is in a state of serious crisis for its survival, leading to surrender of its cadres,. He said almost 90 per cent of NLFT cadres had already laid down arms before security forces in the last two years and the administration was in the process of eradicating militancy from the state. "The common people in interior locations created mass resistance against the militants and they lost complete support base in Tripura," said Das.

Referring to latest surrender of NLFT cadre Sanjit Tripura, a resident of Kanchanpur, Das claimed it was clear case of Police's success. "Police compelled Sanjit to surrender and reveal all information about NLFT's plan of action in Tripura," IGP Das said, adding that the State has become a model in the country in combating insurgency and successful implementation of rehabilitation package.

Banned insurgent outfits are still active in Tripura, DGP Sanjay Sinha said. Addressing a programme organized by the 6th Battalion TSR headquarters at East Ramchandraghat under Khowai District, the DGP further stated that the NLFT has got at least 20 hideouts in neighbouring Bangladesh.

NLFT-BM looks set to intensify abduction and extortion bid to tide over its financial 'crisis'. According to highly places sources, NLFT-BM leaders had a meeting at an undisclosed location in Bangladesh and finalised the future plan for revival of the outfit. In the meeting, rebel leaders had expressed serious concern over the severe financial crunch over the past one year with plans to resort kidnapping in remote areas to receive huge ransom. Further, NLFT-BM would also engage in drug smuggling and arms business to earn money in order to revive the outlawed organization.

Sources said, the NLFT-BM, which has around 150 cadres has been failing to pay salary to its cadres for the past one year leading to unrest among lower cadres. In spite of adverse situation, the outlawed group has been able to recruit 15-20 cadres and they are getting arms training.

NLFT 'chairman' Biswamohan Debbarma has left Bangladesh following the arrest of ATTF 'president' Ranjit Debbarma by Bangladeshi agencies. There are indications Biswamohan is now staying in Myanmar states the report.

Three NLFT militants who had fled from their hideout in Bangladesh along with two civilians, who were abducted on April 1, 2013, have surrendered to the SFs in Dhalai District. "Three NLFT (National Liberation Front of Tripura) extremists aged around 30 years to 45 surrendered to the security forces at Gandachara (in northern Tripura) on Monday night. They came to the officials of Assam Rifles and police along with two hostages. The three NLFT militants along with the hostages have fled from their hideout at Myani reserve forest in Chittagong Hill Tracts (in southeast Bangladesh) on Sunday night and crossed the border before surrendering to the security officials," he said. The militants also surrendered some arms, ammunition and incriminating documents to the SFs at the border village of Gandachara.

Police arrested NLFT militant, Falgun Debbarma, from Dhundrai Para under West Tripura District. NLFT militant, Falgun was one of the prime accused in Jarulbachai massacre (February 1997). The CID had filed charge-sheet against 16 NFLT militants among whom 11 were reported absconding.

BSF has sought information from BGB about three collaborators of NLFT who were arrested by the Bangladeshi force from Rabisundar Karabarip Para village under Matiranga subdivision in Khagrachari District in Chittagong Hill Tracts on May 27. The trio was identified as Gautam Tripura (24), Ramchandra Chakma (45), and Laxmimohan Chakma (28). Sources said during interrogation, the three, all Indian nationals, allegedly admitted that they were involved in a gun-running racket active in the border areas of Tripura and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

CM Manik Sarkar said the problem of militancy in Tripura is not yet rooted out completely. "The major extremist group currently operating against the state is NLFT (BM) [Biswamohan faction of National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT-BM)], with strength of about 130-150 members. They have sophisticated weapons and also expertise in handling IEDs", CM, Manik Sarkar said.

Sarkar further the outfit has as many as 19 hideouts in Bangladesh and four of which are located within 10 km of the Indo-Bangla border. "The group has been trying to make fresh recruitments. Reports also indicate that most of the NE insurgent groups, including NLFT (BM) have formed a common platform called United Forum, which may pose a serious threat to all the NE states and to the country as a whole", he said.

Demanding to provide four additional CAPF battalions and sanctioning two more Indian Reserve battalions (IRB) for Tripura, Sarkar urged the Centre to make diplomatic efforts with Bangladesh Government in effectively tackling extremists currently having their camps in the neighbouring country.

In regard to ensure effective border management, Sarkar laid emphasis on speedy completion of barbed wire fencing work along Indo-Bangladesh border. "Tripura has 856 kilometre long international border with Bangladesh of which 673 kilometres has been fenced so far. There is need to speed up efforts for fencing the remaining part of the international border", he said.

One NLFT-BM 'collaborator', Brokesh Reang alias Bikajoy (24), surrendered along with arms before SFs at Vangmun Police Station under North Tripura District. The NLFT-BM 'collaborator' deposited a factory made Chinese Pistol, one magazine and one live round.

Militants of the NLFT-BM abducted two youths from Harimani Village Committee under the Chowmanu Police Station of Dhalai District. The militants have demanded ransom of INR 2,300 from each family of the Harimani Village for the release of the duo.

Nayanbashi Jamatiya, alias Nakbar, leader of the Nayanbashi faction of NLFT- NB has surrendered to the Police at Khowai District. Nayanbashi sneaked into the Indian Territory through Malda border in West Bengal around 4 days back. Struggling with ill health due to long torture in a Bangladeshi jail, a depressed Nayanbashi had also been suffering from acute financial crises, a Police source added. Nayanbashi surrendered en-masse in 2006 following which he returned to the jungles for not finding 'satisfactory' terms of agreement with the State.

11 militant outfits based in India's Northeast, six from Manipur, three from Assam and one each from Meghalaya and Tripura, have jointly called for a boycott of Independence Day (August 15). The outfits include KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK-PRO, RPF and UNLF of Manipur, which operate from one platform called CorCom, HNLC of Meghalaya, KLO, NDFB, ULFA-I of Assam and NLFT of Tripura. These groups now describe northeast as "Western South East Asia (WESEA) region".

Two school students, Darimohan Tripura and Kushajoy Tripura, have returned from militant captivity to Harimoni Roaja Para located at Longtrai valley sub-division of Dhalai District. The NLFT militants had abducted the duo from Natinmanu village committee on July 29. The militants had issue a ransom demand of INR two million for release of the abducted duo. They had also demanded INR 2,300 from every household of the village failing which the captives would be killed.

Despite the crackdown launched by the Government of Bangladesh, around 200 members of militant groups of the North East region of India are still taking shelter in the neighboring country and a list of the shelter points was handed over to Bangladesh during the recent meeting between the Border Security Force and Borer Guard Bangladesh. Sources in the MHA told that the militants are not maintaining any full-fledged camp in Bangladesh but they have been maintaining at least 25 shelters, mostly in the areas like Khagrachari, Bandarband, and Rangamati in CHT.

Sources said that most of the militants staying in Bangladesh belong to the NLFT of Tripura. But other groups, like the ULFA-I, PLA and UNLF of Manipur, NSCN-IM and NDFB, are also maintaining shelters in the neighbouring country. The Government is still not sure whether the NDFB members staying in Bangladesh belong to the Ranjan Daimary or IK Songbijit faction.

CorCom, a committee of valley based six militant groups of Manipur and the NLFT have jointly called an 18 hour general strike in Manipur and Twipra (Tripura) with effect from October 14 midnight till 6 pm of October 15 in protest against the 'forceful merger agreements' which came into effect from October 15, 1949 by which Manipur and Tripura was merged into the Indian Union.

The 18 hour joint bandh (general Strike) called by militant formation in Manipur and Tripura come into force from October 14th night in both the States.

An 18-hour shutdown in Manipur and Tripura announced by the CorCom of six Manipur based militant groups and NLFT in protest against the merger of the then kingdoms of Manipur and Twipra (Tripura) with the dominion of India on October 15, 1949, has started from Monday midnight.

NLFT militants surrendered to Superintendent of Police (SP-Dhalai), Ratiranjan Debnath at Chhawmanu Police Station after fleeing their hideout in the Chittagong Hill-Tracts of Bangladesh.

State DGP, C Balasubramaniam stated that the separatist groups from India's Northeast Regions have their camps in Bangladesh, though the Bangladeshi Security Forces' have been cracking down on them.

Balasubramaniam told reporters, "At present, there are about 15-18 camps belonging to Tripura militants alone in various parts of Bangladesh, especially southeastern region of that country," According to the police chief, these camps, mostly belonging to outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), exist opposite to Tripura's eleven Police Stations in eastern and northern region of the State.

Justifying the demand of INR 231.74 crore from14th FC beginning from 2015-16 for Policing and security related expenditure, Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar said the NLFT still has at least 19 hideouts in neighbouring Bangladesh.

CM, Sarkar said NLFT is trying to recruit new cadres and extort money for its revival. The militants have become weak and cornered but they are not totally uprooted. "I made it clear to 14th FC that insurgency in Tripura is contained but not eradicated though we have a remarkable success in dealing with militancy," said Sarkar."NLFT is still active in a few locations of the state and they are trying to disrupt the barbed wire fencing on the 130-kilometre long stretch in the south-eastern part along the Tripura-Bangladesh border," added Sarkar. He however, pointed out that All Tripura Tiger Force militants do not have hideouts in Bangladesh. Sarkar stated that the state's security related expenditure has increased to 16 percent of the total committed expenditure and the figure continues to rise for maintaining peace and fight against the insurgents. He said the present government in Bangladesh has taken action against the northeast militants using its territory, but still there are few more camps of Tripura militants there.

Three NLFT militants, 'area commander' Pabanjoy Reang (25), 'deputy area commander' Ananga Mohan Tripura (21), and 'sepoy' Nripendra Tripura (20), who had fled from Satchari camp in Sylhet District in Bangladesh, and surrendered to the BSF Sidhai camp. The militants have deposited two AK-series rifles and large quantities of ammunition.

At least three people were kidnapped by the outlawed tribal guerillas from a village in Mamit District of western Mizoram. "Suspected NLFT militants abducted the three people at gun point from Damparengpui village along Tripura-Mizoram and Bangladesh border in Mamit district night," a Police official said. The police officer said that the armed NLFT rebels abducted Deep Mondal, an official of a Delhi-based telecom company, Sanglianthanga, a resident of Mamit District who was driving Mondal's vehicle and a driver of another vehicle. No ransom was demanded so far by the rebels, who might have taken away the hostages in neighboring Bangladesh.

The ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh has become a major source of concern for the State Government, with reports of groups of NLFT militants trying to sneak into the state from their hideouts in Bangladesh. The special branch (intelligence wing) of state police had received a feedback that a large group of armed NLFT militants had been lurking close to the border, opposite the Karbook area of South Tripura.

The BSF posted along the state's 856 kilometre border with Bangladesh have been put on high alert following reports of attempted trans-border movement of banned anti-Indian militants and influx of ordinary Bangladeshi citizens belonging to the minority community.

Mizoram Police officials said that NLFT cadre, who abducted two Mizos and an executive of the Delhi-based Telecom Network Solution Deep Mondal of West Bengal, demanded a ransom of INR 50 million for the release.

The abductors had not demanded any ransom for the two Mizos - Sanglianthanga, and Lalzamliana of Aizawl, abducted along with Mondal, Police said.

The BSF has sought the help of BGB to secure the release of Deep Mandal (25), a telecom professional from Calcutta, who was abducted along with two drivers from Mizoram's Mamit District on November 23.

According to Mizoram Police, NLFT has taken the abducted trio at a place deep inside Bangladeshi territory. Mandal and the two Mizo drivers worked for a Noida-based company engaged by telecom major Airtel to carry out a survey of the area before the installation of mobile towers. Mamit District Superintendent of Police, Rodingliana Chawngthu, told that BSF officials had sought information about the case on December 9 for a flag meeting on December 10. "I have been informed that the case was discussed in a commandant-level meeting held in Silsury of Mamit District between the BSF and the BGB. We hope the meeting yields something positive."

Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) through the Belonia Check Post in South Tripura District on December 23, 2013 pushed back two militants of NLFT after their 13 years' imprisonment was over in that country.

According to highly places sources, despite repeated denial by Bangladesh authority, as many as 51 militant hideouts of northeast India's militant formations still exist in the Bangladeshi soil.

Out of the total militant hideouts, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) [Tripura based] has the highest number of camps in Bangladesh soil with 23 hideouts. While the Manipur based outfit- People's Liberation Army (PLA) has second highest militant camps- 7, the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) [Nagaland] and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) [Assam] have four and three hideouts respectively.