Two organisations representing surrendered insurgents in Tripura on Wednesday announced an indefinite blockade of railway tracks and a national highway from August 13, alleging that their long-pending demands have remained unresolved despite repeated appeals to both the state and central governments.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Agartala by leaders of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Joint Action for Rehabilitation Committee (JARC). The organisations claimed that former insurgents had laid down arms and returned to the mainstream in response to appeals from the Government of India and the Tripura government, but were yet to receive the promised rehabilitation support.
The representatives alleged that despite years of waiting, no comprehensive financial rehabilitation package had been announced for surrendered insurgents. They said they have been consistently pressing for the implementation of their nine-point charter of demands, which includes measures related to rehabilitation, financial assistance and other welfare issues.
According to the leaders, they had earlier organised a rail and national highway blockade on June 24. The protest was later withdrawn following an appeal from the government, which assured them that their demands would be discussed through dialogue.
They said a high-level meeting was subsequently held with the Tripura government, but it failed to produce any concrete outcome. Another meeting took place on Wednesday in the presence of the state’s Tribal Welfare Minister, where the organisations again raised their demands. However, they alleged that the discussions ended without any resolution.
Expressing disappointment over the outcome of the talks, the organisations announced that they would proceed with an indefinite blockade from August 13 unless their demands are addressed.
As per the proposed plan, the national highway will be blocked at Sadhuchandra Para in Champaknagar, while railway tracks will be blocked at Bhrigudas Para, potentially disrupting transportation and movement across the state.
The organisations appealed to the government to take immediate steps to resolve the issue through meaningful dialogue before the proposed agitation begins. They maintained that their decision to resume protests was taken only after repeated attempts at negotiations failed to yield results.
The state government has not yet issued an official response to the announcement of the proposed indefinite blockade.
