From Our Correspondent
AGARTALA: Brining more trouble for the Left Front government, hundreds of surrendered militants under the banner of Joint Action Rehabilitation Committee (JARC) have decided to blockade the Assam-Agartala National Highway (NH-44), considered lifeline of Tripura.
The indefinite NH blockade, which has been declared by the JARC demanding proper rehabilitation of all surrendered insurgents, will begin on Thursday at 9 am.
Over 4000 insurgents of various outfits including National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) have surrendered to police and Central Paramilitary Force (CPMF) during 1990 to 1998, said Rabindra Reang, general secretary of JARC at a news conference here on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the state government has failed to provide rehabilitation all the surrendered ultras which is a beach of trust because the government had offered rehabilitation package to those who bid adieu to arms struggle”, he pointed out.
Not only rehabilitation, the government has failed to withdraw cases against 86 surrendered ultras even after joining the mainstream, Reang said adding that the government had promised of rolling back all pending cases after the formal surrender.
Expressing fury over the step motherly attitude of the government to the legitimate demands of the deprived returnees, Reang asserted that they would blockade the national highway at Barmura area in West Tripura district.
“This time we will not budge our stand because we have already been cheated with several families of surrendered militants have been leading starvation like situation after joining the mainstream”, said Achai Kharsrang Jamatia, a leader of the JARC.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at Barmura area, proposed venue for the road blockade to thwart any untoward incident.