TRIPURA

Treacherous TSR Havildar Kills Three Jawans

ON September 23 morning, in the first ever incident of a colossal crime in a patriotic security force in Tripura, a camp incharge in the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) decamped with arms, ammunition and apparatus after killing three jawans and grievously injuring three others. The crime took place in the Shermoon Tilla TSR camp under Kanchanpur subdivision, North Tripura.

The incident provides a glimpse of the clandestine conspiracy continuously being carried out by internal and international vested interests, even as the security forces in the state have been achieving a series of spectacular successes in hunting down hardcore extremists in counter-insurgency operations. The series of surrender of the misguided militants to return to the mainstream of democracy and development, set in motion by the Left Front government, is another indication of demoralisation among the extremists. 

Manned by a havildar, two naiks, two wireless operators, ten riflemen and a cook, the TSR camp at Shermoon Tilla is responsible for guarding a key repeater station in the BSNL microwave communication system. On September 21, the camp incharge havildar Rahit Mia illegally sheltered inside the camp five unidentified tribal youth as his guests, allegedly overriding the objection of his subordinates in the camp. Strangely enough, no superintending officer of the TSR battalion concerned went to inspect the camp since the arrival of the five unidentified associates. Two days later, havildar Rahit Mia sent out 11 jawans of the camp to collect fuel wood from jungle, without arms, rudely overriding their disinclination to part with their arms while going out into the extremist infested jungle terrain. Later, the havildar and the five outsiders picked up all the arms and ammunition, shot to death the wireless operator and the only rifleman on security duty, and also picked up the wireless machines. The treacherous havildar fired upon and injured the camp’s cook also. However, the cook made good his escape into the jungle.

Soon afterward, when the 10 disarmed jawans rushed back to the camp on hearing gunshots, the havildar and his accomplices opened fire on them also, killing one and injuring two others before fleeing south-east. The top police officers of the district reached the spot immediately after receiving information and arranged for hospitalisation of the injured and cremation of the deceased jawans. A massive manhunt by the police and the TSR is in progress, while the CRPF and BSF have been put on alert.

Chief minister Manik Sarkar has instructed the police to go all out to track down the absconding treacherous and anti-national havildar and his associates. In separate statements, the chief minister and CPI(M) state secretariat have expressed deep sympathy with the kith and kin of the jawans killed. Vehemently condemning the carnage and the arms loot, the CPI(M) also demanded an inquiry into the logistics of the TSR battalion concerned, in whose security camp five outsiders could stay for two days with impunity.

In the meantime, according to a statement issued by the Assam Rifles on September 22, a encounter with the Assam Rifles in Malai Kutuk village of Khowai subdivision. He was the kingpin of two carnages of innocent people in Khowai subdivision, West Tripura, this year. Over the preceding 18 days, jawans of this paramilitary force have killed seven hardcore extremists in six separate encounters in the state, the statement said.

On the other hand, in the state assembly session that concluded on September 23, Rajeswar Debbarma, a legislator of the INPT, waxed eloquent on the absurd allegation that extremists eager to surrender are being killed in cold blood by security forces. Incidentally, INPT is the overground wing of the outlawed extremist organisation NLFT and the Congress party’s ally. As for Rajeswar Debbarma, he is the legislator from the extremist stronghold Takarjala under Bishalgarh subdivision in West Tripura, where the Congress-INPT combine was successful in hijacking the assembly election in February. That was when the combine took the help of extremists in order to prevent the massive mandate in favour of the Left Front. That their bid was in vain, is another point.

On the same day, however, in the ongoing process of misguided militants laying down their arms, eschewing violence and returning to the mainstream, 17 NLFT extremist associates surrendered to the subdivisional magistrate of Sadar in West Tripura. They handed over 5 country-made guns, a pistol and three hand grenades along with the subscription receipt books of the NLFT. (INN)