With the increased immigration of Bengalis from the Bangladesh and West Bengal in the aftermath of one of the worst ethnic riots, the NLFT was born in 1989 with the backing of the Baptist Church of Tripura.[3] Since then, the NLFT has been advancing its cause through armed rebellion. In its constitution, the organization claims to represent the indigenous population which it claims has been marginalized by "the subjugation policy of imperialist Hindustani (India)"; its constitution makes no mention of any specific religion and claims to extend membership to "any person irrespective of caste, sex or creed".[4] However, some people who have left the NLFT, including former area commander Nayanbashi Jamatia, include animists who are Hindu and animists personal religions and faiths.[5]
The NLFT has been described as engaging in terrorist violence motivated by their.[6] The NLFT is listed as a terrorist organization in the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002.[1] The state government contends that the Baptists of Tripura supply arms and give financial support to the NLFT.[2] In April 2000, according to the state government, the secretary of the Noapara Freedom Front in Tripura, Nagmanlal Halam, was arrested with explosives and confessed that for two years he had been buying explosives for the NLFT.[3] In 2000, the NLFT threatened to kill Hindus celebrating the religious festival of Durga Puja.[7] At least 20 in Tripura have been killed in two years for resisting forced conversion to Christianity.[8] A leader of the Jamatia tribe, Rampada Jamatia, said that armed NLFT militants were forcibly converting tribal villagers to Christianity which he said was a serious threat to peace [8] These forcible conversions back to Christianity sometimes including the use of "rape as a means of intimidation," were noted by academics outside of India in 2007.[6]
In accordance with its stated goal of turning Tripura into the "land of Tripura free of Bengalis", the NLFT has told tribal communities to do act cleansing Tripura from Bengalis. This has caused the Bengali, Jamatia tribesmen and the predominantly animist Reangs to oppose the NLFT.[9]
On August 7, 1998, 4 senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were kidnapped by the NLFT, and all 4 of them are now said to be dead.[10]
In early 2000, 16 Bengali Hindus were killed by the NLFT at Gourangatilla. On 20 May 2000, the NLFT killed 25 Bengali Hindus at the Bagber refugee camp.[11] In August 2000, a tribal Hindu spiritual leader, Shanti Kali, was shot dead by about ten NLFT guerrillas who said it wanted to convert all people in the state to Christianity.[12] In December 2000, Labh Kumar Jamatia, a religious leader of the state's second largest Hindu group, was kidnapped by the NLFT, and found dead in a forest in Dalak village in southern Tripura. According to police, rebels from the NLFT wanted Jamatia to convert to Christianity, but he refused.[13] A local Marxist tribal leader, Kishore Debbarma, was clubbed to death in Tripura's Sadar by militants from the Biswamohan faction of the NLFT in May 2005.[14]
In 2001, there were 826 reported terrorist attacks in Tripura, in which 405 people lost their lives and 481 kidnappings were made by the NLFT and related organizations such as the Christian All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTP).[15] Nagmanlal Halam, secretary of the Noapara Baptist Church in Tripura, was arrested for and confessed, under torture from police, to providing munitions and financial aid to the NLFT from 1998 until 2000.[3]
The BBC reported in 2005 that independent investigations as well as confessions from surrendered members showed that the NLFT had been making and selling pornography to finance their activities. [citation needed] This includes DVDs of pornographic films made by the group with tribal men and women kidnapped and forced to participate in sex acts while being filmed. [citation needed] The movies are dubbed into various languages and sold illegally throughout the region for a profit. [citation needed] Statements from former members and one report state that the NLFT has a history of sexually abusing tribal women.[16]
Though there are doubts arising as it was a paid propaganda. [citation needed]
According to the Institute for Conflict Management, approximately 90% of the NLFT's attacks were against Bengali's. [citation needed]
Factions
The NLFT was originally started by Dhananjoy Reang in March of 1989. Reang was removed from his position by a coup in 1993.[17] After the coup, the group was briefly led by Nayanbasi Jamatiya, and then Biswamohan Debbarma took command, but some continued to follow Nayanbasi. [citation needed]
Cited causes of internal conflicts[2] include the reluctance of Biswamohan Debbarma's Central Executive Committee to nominate Joshua Debbarma as the King of ‘Tripura Kingdom’; misappropriation of funds by senior leaders; lavish lifestyles led by the senior leadership; and forcible conversion of tribal cadres/civilians to Christianity. [citation needed]
Other leaders of the original NLFT included ‘Vice President’ Kamini Debbarma, ‘Publicity Secretary’ Binoy Debbarma, ‘Chief of Army’ Dhanu Koloi, and ‘Finance Secretary’ Bishnu Prasad Jamatiya. [citation needed]
Biswamohan faction
The Biswamohan faction (NLFT/BM) is earlier headed by Biswamohan Debbarma. In May 2017 In a meeting at an undisclosed location, selected Subir Debbarma alias Yamorok (45), as the new 'president' of the organization renaming it as the NLFT SD. It later signed a memorandum of Settlement with Government of India to abide by The Constitution of India & join the mainstream on 10 August 2019.[18]
Upon the surrender of Mantu Koloi, second in command, he requested that Biswamohan Debbarma and Ranjit Debbarma engage in talks with the Government of India to resolve the crisis. This was sparked by the Bangladeshi government’s crackdown on hostile groups. The government there were able to do this by extensively searching the Sacherri jungles where the organization had many of its hideouts.[19] However, both leaders vowed to fight on.[20]
Nayanbasi faction
The Nayanbasi faction has approximately 50 sophisticated weapons, 50 persons in collaboration with the group, and 150 cadres in active duty.[21] In January 2004, the Nayanbasi faction group sent a message to the Additional Director of General Police (ADG) with the intention to start peace talks. These meetings ultimately were not successful. Later that year it peacefully entered into a Memorandum of Settlement with India.[22]
Location
The group has been banned from the Indian government since the Unlawful Activities Act of 1967. Therefore, the group operates from its headquarters in Khagrachari, a district in Bangladesh around 45 km from Simanapur.[23] The National Liberation Front of Tripura has the ability to utilize this 856 km of the border that is unfenced and susceptible to invasion.[24]
Attacks
The National Liberation Front of Tripura has conducted 81 attacks on various locations in South Asia and specifically in Tripura.[25] Of these 81 attacks, handguns and firearms have been the most common weapon. [citation needed]
During the period 1992–2001 total of 764 civilians and 184 members of the security forces were killed in NLFT attacks, which also demanded lives of 124 members of the organization.[26] Later, during the period 2005–2015, NLFT has been responsible for 317 incidents in which 28 security forces and 62 civilians lost their lives. [27]
Objectives/Ideologies
A common ideology within the NLFT is Tripuri Nationalism. This has two components: a Tripura state that is for only the native citizens, and the Bengalis that inhabit Tripura have no political rights or power. Among the leadership and followers of the NLFT, there are a few common objectives that come to the surface when doing analysis on this group. [citation needed]
To liberate Tripura from the union of India
To deport all Indians and Bangladeshis who entered into Tripura after 1947.
The tripartite memorandum of understanding was signed by Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary (Northeast) of Ministry of Home Affairs, Kumar Alok, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Tripura and Sabir Kumar Debbarma and Kajal Debbarma of NLFT.[29]
Flag
The NLFT has its own flag which consists of three colors: green, white, and red. The green portion of the flag symbolizes sovereignty over Tripura, the land to which they lay claim. The white portion of the flag signifies the peace they desire to. The color red represents the revolution and the blood that has been shed in the name of their revolution. The final part of the flag is the star which acts as the guiding light for the Borok during this struggle.[30]
Ganamukti Parishad is a left-wing movement working amongst the Tripuri peoples of Tripura, in north-eastern India. It is affiliated with Communist Party of India (Marxist) as its tribal wing.
Kokborok (or Tripuri) is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Indian state of Tripura and neighbouring areas of Bangladesh.
The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple separatist militant groups operating in some of India's northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide.
The Tripura Baptist Christian Union (TBCU) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Tripura, India. It has its head office in Agartala, the state capital. The TBCU is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF) and the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). It is also a member church in the North East India Christian Council (NEICC), a regional church body of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI).
Tripura National Volunteers was a Tripuri nationalist militant group in the Tripura region of India that launched an armed struggle in the early 1980s to separate Tripura from India. TNV was led by Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl.
The Tripuri, are a Tibeto-Burman-speaking ethnic group of Northeast Indian state of Tripura. They are the descendants of the inhabitants of the Twipra/Tripura Kingdom in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through the Manikya dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Tripura for many years until the kingdom joined the Indian Union on 15 October 1949.
Gurudev Santi Kali or Santi Tripura was a popular Hindu priest who was shot to death inside his ashram near Jirania under the Sadar subdivision in the Indian state of Tripura. Police reports regarding the incident unidentified ten members of the organization National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) as being responsible for the murder.
The All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) was a Tripuri nationalist militant group active in India's Tripura State. It was founded on 11 July 1990, by a group of former Tripura National Volunteer members under the leadership of Ranjit Debbarma. The ATTF is considered a terrorist organisation by India. According to the South Asian Terrorism Portal, approximately 90% of the ATTF's administration are Hindu and the rest are Christians. The group was said to have been formed as the armed wing of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) but split into its own organization. The group was headquartered in Tarabon in Bangladesh.
Tripuri Nationalism is an ideology that supports self-determination by the Tripuri people. The conflict is in essence ethnic and the Tripuri community, indigenous to the region formed the clear majority of population in the princely state of Tippera, which joined the Republic of India in 1949 as the state of Tripura.
Biswamohan Debbarma declared himself as a chairman of the National Liberation Front of Tripura of his own faction. In May 2017 in a meeting at an undisclosed location, selected Subir Debbarma alias Yamorok (45), as the new 'president' of the organization hence renamed NLFT SD which later signed a Memo of Settlement with Govt. of India on 10 August 2019. He is currently wanted by India and Interpol for crimes against life and health, and crimes involving the use of weapons/explosives.
The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) is a regional political party in Tripura, India. It is a member of the National Democratic Alliance and North-East Democratic Alliance. The party was merged into the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in 2001, However diverged out in 2009. The party is allied with BJP in the 2018 Tripura Legislative Assembly election and won 8 seats out of 9 contested seats. The party got 7.5% of the total votes polled. The BJP got 36 seats and with a total of 44 seats the BJP-IPFT coalition have two-thirds majority at the Legislative Assembly.
Secession in India typically refers to state secession, which is the withdrawal of one or more states from the Republic of India. Whereas, some have wanted a separate state, union territory or an autonomous administrative division within India. Many separatist movements exist with thousands of members, however, some have low local support and high voter participation in democratic elections. However, at the same time, demanding separate statehood within under the administration of Indian union from an existing state can lead to criminal charges under secession law in India. India is described as an ‘Union of States’ in Article 1 of the Indian constitution I.e "Indestructible nation of destructible states" by its father of constitution Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar where a state or Union territory of India can't secede from India by any means and the Central Government have more powers then the respective state governments and can forcefully change the name, boundaries of the states without their permission at any time when needed for self interest and for the maintenance of integrity.
Kamalnagar massacre refers to the massacre of 14 unarmed Bengali Hindu villagers in Kamalnagar on 14 August 2003 by the All Tripura Tiger Force insurgents.
Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti was a political party in the Indian state of Tripura from 1977–2001. During 1988-93, the Indian National Congress formed a coalition government with the TUJS at the Tripura Legislative Assembly.
Operation Roukhala was an ethnic cleansing operation launched by the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) for the eviction of Bengali Hindus from Tripura in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The word Roukhala in Kokborok literally means ouster or deportation or driving out. In the early stages of the movement, the ATTF and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) separately issued quit notices to the Bengali Hindus. The ATTF named it as Operation Roukhala. Later NLFT joined the movement. According to the political leaders in Tripura, the rebels resort to abduction and murder of non-tribals in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) area as a part of Operation Roukhala.
The insurgency in Tripura was an armed conflict which took place in the state of Tripura between India and several separatist rebel organisations. It was a part of the wider insurgency in Northeast India and was fueled by Tripuris.
United Bengali Liberation Front was a militant separatist organisation in Tripura, India. It sought to protect Bengalis from Bangladesh against Tripuri militants and other tribal groups and first appeared in the year 1995, alongside the NLFT and ATTF. There was no official data about its commanders and cadres. UBLF was involved in bomb blasts, murders and Hostage Crises. Its conflict was against Indigenous Tribals and other Tribals of Neighbouring stares. The UBLF came into existence only after the ATTF was formed with the aim of decimating Bengali Hindus living in Tripura. The ATTF carried out multiple attacks against the Bengali Hindus who arrived to India after ethnic cleansing in Bangladesh. The ATTF have been credited with at least 20 attacks on Bengali speaking people. The formation of UBLF was a direct retaliation against these killings of Bengali Hindus.The UBLF was banned by the GoI later.
Yarwng is a 2008 Kokborok feature film produced by Don Bosco Sampari Pictures Tripura, written and directed by Joseph Pulinthanath. The story of the 95-minute feature film revolves round the large-scale displacement which happened in Tripura state, in northeast India, when the newly built Dumbur dam (1970s) submerged huge areas of arable land in the fertile Raima valley about 40 years ago. The film won the first national film award for Tripura at the 56th National Film Awards in (2008)
Discrimination against Bengalis in India comprises negative attitudes and views on Bengalis in India. Though Bengalis have lived in different parts of India for centuries, they are subject to widespread discrimination. This can be either by any other community or in any particular place, due to reasons like inhabitation, discriminating sentiments, political reasons, Government actions, anti-Bangladeshi sentiment etc. The discriminative condition of Bengalis can be traced from Khoirabari massacre, Nellie massacre, Silapathar massacre, North Kamrup massacre, Goreswar massacre, Bongal Kheda etc. This has led to emergence of Bengali sub-nationalism in India as a form of protest and formation of many pro-Bengali organisations in India.
Bikram Bahadur Jamatia is a Tripuri Indian social worker and the former Akra (Head) of the Jamatia Hoda. He played an important role in promoting an indigenous people’s ‘movement’ against the NLFT, ATTF and other small terror group in Tripura. Jamatia received the Deendayal Upadhyaya National Integration Award Award and the Kalikinkar Debbarma Award for Excellent Performance in Classical Music in 2018. In 2023, he was awarded the Padma Shri (2023), the fourth-highest civilian award in India.
1 2 Adam, Jeroen; De Cordier, Bruno; Titeca, Kristof; Vlassenroot, Koen (16 October 2007). "In the Name of the Father? Christian Militantism in Tripura, Northern Uganda, and Ambon". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 30 (11): 963–983. doi:10.1080/10576100701611288. S2CID145364791.
↑ Corigliano, Kelly Marie (2007). Self-worth theory goes to elementary school: An integrative approach to reading motivation (Thesis). ProQuest1287104045.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
