Agartala, Sept 24: Surrender of 584 insurgents from National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) on Tuesday marked a significant milestone towards peace in Tripura.
Tripura Chief Minister, Prof. Dr. Manik Saha, who welcomed the returnees at an event said the state, once a hotspot of insurgency movement, is now free from the issue.
The arms-laying ceremony took place at the Headquarters of the 7th Battalion of the Tripura State Rifles, located at Jampuijala in Sepahijala District.
This event followed the peace accord signed between the Government of India, the Government of Tripura, the NLFT, and the ATTF in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha in New Delhi on September 4.
On this day Biswa Mohan Debbarma, President of NLFT (BM), Parimal Debbarma, President NLFT (PD), Prasenjit Debbarma, President, NLFT (ORI) and Alindra Debbarma, President, ATTF, surrenders AK Series Rifles before the Chief Minister.
Addressing the event, Dr. Saha said that the arms-laying ceremony was a result of the peace accord, which marked a significant milestone in Tripura’s journey toward peace.
“When Narendra Modi took charge as Prime Minister of India, he consistently emphasized that the development of the country is impossible without the development of the Northeast. We can see that the Northeast, which was once grappling with terrorism, is now almost free from it, with around 12 peace accords having been signed, three of which pertain to Tripura. Without peace in the state and the country, development is not possible. From today, we can say that Tripura is now free from insurgency. Both the State and Central governments have implemented a series of schemes for the development of the Janajati people,” Dr. Saha said.
Dr. Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, emphasized that problems cannot be resolved through hatred.
“I welcome those who have lived difficult lives and have now joined the mainstream today,” he added.
The event was attended by Tripura DGP Amitabh Ranjan, DGP (Intelligence) Anurag, Chief Secretary JK Sinha, Home Secretary PK Chakraborty, Sepahijala District Magistrate Siddhart Shiv Jaiswal, and others.