People's Democracy

TRIPURA

Mass killing in Pushparam Para

Haripada Das

IN a desperate attempt to destabilise the state with violent attacks on the eve of the general elections to the TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) scheduled in the early next year, NLFT (BM) extremists carried out a carnage murdering no less than eight poor tribal Jhumias which included one teen-aged girl and two women at Purshparam Para, a remote tribal village near Bangladesh border in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura. At 10.00 pm in the night, the killer group dragged out nine villagers from their houses and gunned down eight of them and left one woman inflicting severe injuries, at a place near a hilly stream. The extremists made good their escape to the other side of Bangladesh through the porous border. All the victims were the kith and kin of four of the ten extremists who only the other day surrendered to the police laying down arms in two separate places. The CPI(M) Kanchanpur  district secretary, Lalit Debnath and Rajendra Reang, MLA rushed to the spot hearing the news of the mass-killing. The police officials reached the spot which requires walking of several hours from the last point at Bhandarima that can be reached on a vehicle.

The CPI(M) Tripura  state secretariat in a statement, severely condemned the cowardly killing of the innocent tribal jhumias and termed it as a heinous, vengeful act of the extremists to stall the continuous exodus of the disillusioned extremist cadets from their camps aiming to join in the democratic mainstream. INPT, known to be the mask of the outlawed NLFT(BM) extremists and the Congress party, the electoral ally of the INPT were instigating the NLFT(BM) to step up their violence with an eye to destabilise the state on the eve of TTAADC elections. They were also trying to help the extremists to have some new recruits. But on the contrary, being disillusioned, the long-time extremist cadets were decamping every day to lay down arms and surrender to the police. This made their patrons upset and vengeful, the statement said.

The state secretariat expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims and called all its units to conduct protest demonstration throughout the state and observe general strike in Kanchanpur sub-division tomorrow.  The Tripura  Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad and AIDWA state unit also condemned the incident. The names of the persons killed are as follows:

1. Tularam Reang (60)

2. Hampaiti Reang (55), wife of Tularam

3. Bidanswari Reang (15), daughter of Tularam

4. Sanjit Reang (25)

5. Malirung Reang (45) (woman)

6. Pramoderai Reang (50)

7. Rabindra Reang (20)

8. Tamarung Reang (20) (woman)

 Gayabati Reang (woman) was badly injured.