People's Democracy

 TRIPURA

Extremists Spared Not Even Women And Children

ON September 29 afternoon, in yet another case of dastardly hit and run terrorism, gunmen of the outlawed extremist organisation NLFT killed six women and children, aged 3 to 30, of three tribal families and grievously injured three others at Durai Shyamrai village under Kamalpur subdivision in Dhalai district. One of the injured died later. All these families were of CPI(M) activists.

The attack was followed by yet another mass killing next day, on September 30, at Dasarambari under Jirania police station in Sadar subdivision in West Tripura district, where three CPI(M) workers were gunned down by NLFT extremists.

These attacks are in continuation of the series of cynical NLFT atrocities in the state, aimed at wreaking vengeful violence on CPI(M) leaders and activists. They came in the background of the state’s Left Front government tightening the screw on those with a vested interest in terrorism, through growing mass resistance against the outlawed extremists who have their sanctuaries in the Bangladesh territory. Furthermore, coming as they did on the eve of the biggest festival of the Bengalis, the Durgapuja festival that started on September 30 evening, these extremist carnages were also designed to engulf the festival in a frenzy of ethnic fratricide.

Between 5 to 5.30 p m on September 29, armed with sophisticated weapons, NLFT extremists simultaneously stormed into three houses in Durai Shyamrai village and began firing randomly. At the time of the attack, the menfolk were out in the weekly market. Those killed included the wife and three years old child of CPI(M) activist Ratiranjan Debbarma. In another house, the 25 years old son of CPI(M) activist Suku Debbarma was killed. All the three surviving injured are women.

Immediately after getting information, top police officers of the district rushed with reinforcement and started a joint combing operation with the Assam Rifles in charge of counter-insurgency operation in the area.

The second attack took place on September 30, at about 7.30 p m, when a group of 10 to 12 NLFT (BM) extremists raided Dasarambari village. They picked up Bimal Debbarma and Dhaniram Debbarma, both CPI(M) workers and local leaders of Tribal Youth Federation (TYF), who stood in front of a shop. Dragging them to some distance, the extremists shot both of them at point blank range, leaving them dead on the spot. Then the killer group raided another tribal hamlet, Kunjabiharipara, near the ADC headquarters in Khumulawng, where they killed CPI(M) leader Manoranjan Debbarma in the same brutal way. One Shukram Debbarma, a GMP activist, could make good his escape.

According to villagers, after the recent change of leadership in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) following a split in the INPT, restoration of a terror-free atmosphere had gradually started. People too started protesting against the extremists more outspokenly and spontaneously, and helped the security forces in their anti-insurgency operations.

Every year, the state government generates some work for the rural poor and provides them new cloths on the eve of Durgapuja festival. Recently, such works were going on under the supervision of Comrades Bimal Debbarma and Dhaniram Debbarma in the area. NLFT extremists demanded from them a lump sum amount, which they denied outright. That apart, braving terror and intimidation, after a long gap, a big mass meeting was held under the auspices of the CPI(M) a week back. These things enraged the extremists who launched vengeful retaliation on the CPI(M) workers in the area.

In separate statements, the acting chief minister Anil Sarkar and the CPI(M) state secretariat have vehemently condemned the carnages as instances of dastardly transborder terrorism from Bangladesh territory where there are 51 camps of the Tripura extremists. While demanding extensive search and arrest of the killers, the CPI(M) has urged upon the state’s people to build mass resistance against the extremists and their mentors. It also asked them to keep mounting pressure on the centre to provide adequate security forces as per the state government’s requisition and to negotiate with the Bangladesh government at the highest political level for busting the extremist dens in Bangladesh territory. According to Sarkar, the tightly cornered extremists in Tripura are targeting innocent people to stall the development of the state and to trigger ethnic tension. (INN)