A picture of NFLT hit squad in the jungles of North Tripura bordering Mizoram and Bangladesh Photo: Papan Das Tripura has been portrayed as a role model in the entire Northeast for its success in curbing insurgency. For past three years, Tripura has been one of the most peaceful states in Northeast. The fencing of the 856 km long Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura, the mass surrenders by rebels and rural development has ensured peace. It is also speculated that the Union Home Ministry was even thinking about lifting the ban on National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and declaring Tripura ‘insurgency free.’
However, TEHELKA has learned from sources that
the NLFT, led by its chairman Bishwamohan Debbarma, is regrouping in
Bangladesh and neighboring Mizoram. The group is planning a series of
attacks in the state, ahead of the 2013 Assembly polls, that will decide
the fate of the Left Front government that has been in power for 19
years.
The outfit is also part of the ‘United Front’
of Northeast rebel group, that is said to have been formed after United
Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and Manipur’s United National
Liberation Front (UNLF) leaders were nabbed in Dhaka and handed over to
India in 2009. According to intelligence sources, the ‘United Front’ is
being led by the supremo of National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Khaplang faction) SS Khaplang. It is NSCN (K) which is helping NLFT
with arms procurement. The regrouping endeavour of NLFT suffered a major
setback when Assam Rifles troopers nabbed NLFT finance department
in-charge Utpal Debbarma from Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl.
While outfits like Garo National Liberation
Army (GNLA) and NSCN (K) have helped the rebel group recruit new
members, around 30 rebels of NLFT who had earlier surrendered and joined
the mainstream, have reportedly returned back to the NLFT bases in
Bangladesh, sources added. Most of the rebels, who surrendered, have
been beneficiaries of the rehabilitation packages by the government.
“Through NSCN (K), NLFT has procured a huge
consignment of arms which was supplied near Sajeek area in Rangamati of
Bangladesh. The rebel outfit maintains a base in that area. The
consignment consists of sophisticated that include landmines, grenades,
SLRs, INSAS rifles, LMGs, Swarovski Z3 rifles, pistols, ammunition,
gelatin sticks and RDX, the military intelligence officer further added.
Two trainers from NSCN (K) are in the base of NLFT, training its fresh
recruits. GNLA is sending NLFT a trainer for handling explosives,”
confirmed a senior military intelligence officer.
NLFT was formed in 1989, with an idea of
Tripura’s secession from India. The outfit has suffered multiple splits
over the years, with most of its leaders like Nayanbashi Jamatia, Kamini
Debbarma and Montu Koloi surrendering under government rehabilitation
packages. But its chairman Bishwamohan Debbarma is still at large,
possibly in Bangladesh.
According to sources in the state home
department, NLFT has abducted more than 30 people from remote tribal
villages in 2012. Apart from Bangladesh, NLFT continues to maintain
strategic hideouts in Mizoram. Recently, six workers of an Assam-based
firm, who were working in a fencing site on the Mizoram-Bangladesh
border, were abducted by NLFT rebels. NLFT had demanded a ransom of Rs
1.25 crores and later released the workers after the firm reportedly
paid Rs 60 lakhs. “NLFT will be carrying on this extortion and
kidnapping drive because it has sent its people in two small batches to
Myanmar to get trained by NSCN (K). Khaplang is helping NLFT revive
since he is leading the new ‘United Front’ but training and arms do not
come for free,” the military intelligence officer added.
The estimated cadre strength of NLFT is around
130 and they have recruited nearly 50 new boys, apart from some young
tribal girls. NLFT commanders Atahrababu Halam, Chatrabhanga Jamatia and
Sachin Debbarma are in charge of this ‘revival mode’. They are also
coordinating with NSCN (K) members in Bangladesh for arms and training
and the link has been established through GNLA and National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB). According to sources in Assam Rifles that
leads anti-insurgency operations in Tripura, NLFT is using its former
cadres in recruitment drives. Some minor boys have also been lured into
joining the outfit. “We have inputs that at least six minor boys in
North Tripura have joined NLFT over the past four months. They have
picked up the trick of recruiting minors from GNLA,” said an Assam
Rifles commandant operating in Tripura on conditions of anonymity.
Although NLFT is carrying out extortion in
the remote areas of Tripura, they plan to launch guerilla attacks in the
state capital Agartala as the polls approach. NLFT has been asking for
their share of the payment of MNREGA from the poor tribals. The rebel
outfit is said to have sent notices to remote tribal villages in North
Tripura and Dhalai district that every MNREGA card holder will have to
give 10 percent of his/her earning through MNREGA as donation to the
rebel outfit or face the consequences. The ruling Left Front has always
accused NLFT of supporting the opposition forces during elections in the
state.
Khaplang and ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh
Barua have been instrumental in the formation of the new ‘United Front’.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur is also active in the
front. The other groups who have come together are People’s
Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), the Noyon group of
Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL),
Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and Garo National
Liberation Army (GNLA). The coordination is mainly for supplying
weapons, training and also providing safe haven to the cadres of various
outfits.
The other rebel outfit – All Tripura Tiger
Force (ATTF) – is now almost defunct and a large number of cadres of
ATTF have in fact joined NLFT with a huge cache of arms. With the
Issac–Muivah faction of NSCN not being a part of the newly formed
‘United Front’ of Northeast rebels, NLFT is now banking on NSCN (K) for
its twin objectives – revival of cadre strength and carrying out attacks
in Tipura’s capital Agartala ahead of the 2013 Assembly polls in the
state.
Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. ratnadip@tehelka.com
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