People's Democracy

STICKING fast to their method in madness, militants meticulously struck on August 14 and 15 in Tripura, gruesomely killing three activists of the Left and democratic movement and a jawan of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) in two separate incidents. The extremists also made an abortive attempt on the life of a CPI(M) leader on August 14 night.

At about 7.30 p m on August 14, a hit squad comprising extremists of the NLFT and its associate BNCT, dividing into three groups, raided the houses of CPI(M) branch committee member Comrade Subendra Debbarma (35) at Mahendrapara, a government primary school teacher and a democratic movement activist Comrade Prabendra Debbarma (28) at Bansingh Chowdhurypara under Khowai subdivision in West Tripura and forcibly picked them up from their houses. Taking those kidnapped a little distance away, the extremists first beat them up with sticks, hacked them with sharp weapons and then shot them dead in a fascist style. The villagers rushed to the spot on hearing the gun shots. The CRPF allegedly refused any help to the villagers who requested a rescue operation following the abduction of the said three persons.

On the same night, yet another group of NLFT-BNCT extremists attempted to get into the house of CPI(M) leader Nandalal Debbarma at Rabicharan Chawkidarpara, Khowai, but failed to gatecrash. When he came out of the room on hearing a dog barking, the extremists opened fire. But Debbarma dodged the bullets by lying down.

Since the last year’s election to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC or ADC in short) in which the outlawed NLFT extremists helped the IPFT, their political wing, to capture the ADC at gun point, the NLFT-IPFT combine has been carrying out a campaign of terror throughout the ADC areas. Though this terror campaign forced many of the CPI(M) and GMP activists to leave their households, they resumed their political activities over the last few months, guided and inspired by the local CPI(M) and GMP leaders. Bishalaksha Debbarma is one such leader who had been organising meetings in some localities of Khowai and emboldening the activists and supporters to unite against the extremists. This was the reason his maternal uncle and his brother-in-law were among those targeted and killed on August 14.

Nandalal Debbarma who narrowly escaped an assassination bid on the same night, had been murderously attacked earlier as well. Yet he has been carrying out party activities in defiance of the extremists threats.

At about 12.45 p m on August 15, when jawans of the TSR’s 4th Battalion, led by two ASIs of Kanchanpur police station, North Tripura, were returning to their camps after a special combing operation, they were ambushed by NLFT extremists from above and behind a hillock, some distance away from the TSR camp at Bhaktamohanpara. Following an hour-long exchange of fire, the extremists made good their escape due to the difficult forest terrain, after killing a TSR jawan and looting his SLR and its accessories.

The CPI(M) state secretariat has vehemently condemned these killings of party activists and a TSR jawan by the extremists on August 14 and 15. This dastardly killing spree of the extremists is the outcome of their desperation due to their increasing isolation from and defiance by the people. The extremists are also trying to scare the activists and supporters away from the Left Front campaign for the ensuing by-election to the IPFT-ruled ADC in Machmara constituency under Kanchanpur subdivision, the CPI(M) opined. (INN)