Agartala, September 5, 2026: A 72-hour strike called by seven organisations representing surrendered militants in Tripura was withdrawn on Saturday, the second day of the agitation, following discussions with West Tripura District Magistrate Dr Vishal Kumar.
The strike was called to press for an 11-point charter of demands concerning the rehabilitation and welfare of former militants. According to Dr Kumar, the agitation was withdrawn after the organisations and the administration reached a consensus on most of the issues raised.
Speaking to mediapersons after the strike was called off, the District Magistrate said the administration had held discussions with representatives of all the returnee organisations and carefully considered their demands.
“The rehabilitation committee of returnees called a 72-hour-long strike. We spoke to all the groups of the returnees. They had a set of demands, some of them are very crucial in the interest of the returnee beneficiaries,” Dr Kumar said.
He said the administration had agreed to most of the demands that could be addressed under existing rules and assured the organisations that their genuine concerns would be resolved in a time-bound manner.
“We have also talked about some points of the agreement. In view of the consensus we have reached on the majority of the issues, the leaders of returnee organisations have called off the strike,” he said.
Dr Kumar also thanked Prasenjit Debbarma, who had been leading the protest, for his role in the agitation and subsequent discussions with the administration.
The withdrawal came shortly after Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha returned to Tripura from New Delhi, where he had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following the meeting, Dr Saha said instructions had been issued to concerned officials to take all necessary steps to resolve the issues raised by the surrendered militants.
The seven organisations had jointly launched the 72-hour strike to press for implementation of their 11-point demands. The agitation had disrupted normal life in several areas, with protesters blocking roads and railway tracks.
The administration’s talks with the returnee organisations ultimately paved the way for the withdrawal of the strike on its second day, bringing the agitation to an early end.
