CI Ops success in NE
SF highlights Tripura as model State
Source: The Sangai Express / Sangai Bureau

Tripura, May 25: The statistics say something significant.

Seventy six surrendered militants belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura, National Liberation Front of Tripura (Biswamohan) and All Tripura Tiger Force, were paraded at three camps of the Assam Rifles under the 3 Corp at Agartala, Teliamura and Kanchenpur on May 23 and 24 before media persons drawn from Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

The other major militant group operating in Tripura is the Borok National Council of Tripura.

The media persons were flown on a MI-17 helicopter to Tripura to get a first hand account of how the Assam Rifles in collaboration with other security agencies have been largely successful in neutralising the militant groups operating in the State since the early 80s.Agartala, May 23 : The first destination from Imphal was Agartala where the media persons were taken to the Headquarters of the 21 Sector Assam Rifles.

Coming straight to the point while addressing the media, spokesperson of the unit, Lt Col Nishis Bhatnagar in the presence of Brigadier SP Asthana, said that Assam Rifles in collaboration with other security forces including the State police of Tripura have been successfully curbing militant activities in the State.

Surrendered cadre of NLFT (L) and another surrenderee from NLFT (B) tell their tales to the media

Though militancy kicked off under the banner of nurturing the cultural identity language, tradition and customs, it became clear, with the passage of time, that militancy amounted to nothing less than going after material gains through extortions and kidnapping for ransom, he claimed.

Most of the top leadership of the militant outfits are living comfortable lives across the border, said the spokesperson.

The successful CI Ops thanks to the collaboration between the different security agencies, the civil administration and the backing of the State Government is best exemplified by the successful holding of the State Assembly election on February 23 this year, he said and added that four senior hardcore leaders of the NLFT (B) were eliminated by Assam Rifles in November last year.

The success of the election can be gauged from the astounding 92.33 pc voter turn out, which is a record, said Bhatnagar.

To give a more concrete story of the success achieved in CI Ops, 29 surrendered militants from the NLFT (B) and one ATTF cadre were paraded before the media.

Interacting with the media, a former and senior member of the NLFT (B) Janabir Debbarma (42) said that he joined the outfit in 1993 and surrendered on January 1, 2006 .

Explaining his stand, the former militant who held the rank of a Colonel in the outfit said that he decided to quit as the objectives spelt out earlier were getting blurred.

In other words, he had become disillusioned with the armed movement.

As for the moment, the former militant said that the Government should implement the rehabilitation programme effectively.

Vocational training is being imparted, he said but added that his priority is to set up a rubber plantation, the facility which has been extended to other groups.

The threat perception from his former comrade in arms is there, he admitted, but he is determined to lead a civilian life now.

Teliamura, May 24 : The next stop was the camp of 15 Assam Rifles at Teliamura in South Tripura where ten NLFT (B), four NLFT and two ATTF surrendered cadres were presented to the media.

26 year old Jarma Charan, who was described as a terror while with the NLFT by none other than the CO of 15 AR, the affable Col AK Chaterjee, seemed like any other young man in his twenties, but beneath that youthful exterior lies a soul, which became disillusioned with life in the jungle and surrendered on April 9 this year.

Parrying questions from the media, Charan said that he joined the NLFT in 1999 but decided to quit as he had become disillusioned with the top leadership, who he described as 'cruel and merciless'.

At the moment, his priority is to get a meaningful source of livelihood and is open to the idea of joining the security forces, if selected.

At the moment, vocational training is yet to start for him and some of his colleagues. Providing inputs, Colonel AK Chaterjee said that the surrendered militants may be put through the recruitment rally.

Asserting that the State Government has been playing a proactive role in weaning the cadres from the jungle, the CO said that for each surrendered militant a sum of Rs 1.5 lakhs is deposited as fixed deposits in the bank.

The interest that comes from the fixed deposit is given to them on monthly instalment.

The CO further said that most of the cadres are not ideologically inclined but joined the militant outfits to make money.

To a question on whether there is any formal structure such as the Unified Command between the different security agencies and the State Government, Col Chatterjee said that there is no such formal set up, but they do interact and consult each other according to the situation.

Kanchenpur, May 24 : Thirty surrendered militants, mostly from the NLFT were presented before the media at the 14 Assam Rifles camp at Kanchenpur in North Tripura.

Here too, the surrendered militants had more or less the same story to narrate.

Sanjay Jamatia, 29 or 30 years old, give or take away a year, who could converse in Hindi said that he joined the NLFT in 1997 and surrendered only a few weeks back.

He received his training at Hong Kong camp in Bangladesh, and added that he decided to quit since he saw no future.

Life in the jungle was also very hard.

Jamatia, on being queried, said that he joined the NLFT to fight for freedom.

The former rebel said that he is being treated well and does not have anything to complain about.

With the statistics of surrendered militants telling a significant story, Lt Col Bhatnagar, during the interaction at Agartala, said that Tripura is a model State for successful CI Ops where the Government, the Assam Rifles and other security agencies have joined hands to contain militancy to a great extent.

Other than engaging the militants in combats, the Assam Rifles has also been winning the hearts and minds of the people through the numerous Military Civic Action programme launched in Tripura.