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Tripura : Truce with NLFT |
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The cloud of uncertainty over the ceasefire between Delhi and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (Nayanbasi) has cleared with the militant group agreeing to review and renew the truce every six months.
Official sources said Nayanbasi Jamatya, his associate Ananta Debbarma, tribal welfare commissioner G.S.G. Ayengar, who represented the state government, and Joint Secretary (Home) A.K. Rastogi arrived at the agreement in New Delhi.
The NLFT (Nayanbasi) signed the ceasefire pact with Delhi and the Tripura government on April 15. In the third week of July, Jamatya left for Bangladesh. He did not return for a long time, sparking speculation about the fate of the ceasefire after the expiry of its first term on October 15.
Jamatya returned to Tripura on September 27. Accompanied by Debbarma, he went to Delhi the next day.
A source said the renewal of the ceasefire did not come about easily. He said a volley of allegations from either side about violation of the ground rules of the truce raised the possibility of the peace process collapsing.
Jamatya claimed NLFT members staying in camps in Tripura were being harassed by police and denied the facilities due to them.
Ayengar countered the allegation by saying that the surrendered militants had themselves violated the ceasefire agreement by making illogical demands on the government.
At this stage, Rastogi intervened, saying that both sides must co-operate to make the peace process a success. The parties at the meeting finally signed a 10-point agreement.
In accordance with the agreement, the militants will not have contact with any militant group. They will stay in a camp in Lovstori market under Udaipur police station of South Tripura. The NLFT commanders will be lodged in a government rest house in Agartala pending a final peace agreement and given personal security. The militants will not move around in their uniforms and not extort money from people. They will be provided photo identity cards by the police to facilitate their free movement.
A committee will be formed to monitor the progress of the peace process. Talks will next be held after the winter session of Parliament.
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