| Jul 8, 1990 | According to Tripura state police chief R.P. Sharma, communist supporters kill six activists of India's opposition Congress party and police shoot dead one member of CPI(M), India's largest leftist party. Violence during polls is commonplace in Tripura as opposition parties fight to capture booths and stuff ballot boxes. |
| Mar 1991 | Indian Parliament is dissolved after Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar (head of a tiny minority government) resigns in protest of the Congress party's opposition. No other party was able to gather the support of a majority coalition, thus forcing elections. Indian Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal states that the general elections scheduled in May could erupt in violence and the political leaders who force elections should be tried for murder. The leaders named included Rajiv Gandhi (leader of the Congress party), Vishwanath Pratap Singh, and Lal Krishan Advani (leader of the Hindu revivalist Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP]). |
| Apr 1991 | A severe cyclonic storm lashes Tripura on the last day of April. The most affected areas are Belonia, Sabroom, and Amarpur subdivisions of south Tripura district. Thousands of houses are blown away. Most of the low lying zones are flooded. Schools are closed, and government offices and banks are thin due to loss of power and damage. |
| May 1991 | A coalition of Leftist parties led by the CPI(M) forges an electoral alliance with former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's National Front. CPI(M) officials say they have not ruled out a partnership with the Congress party either. The communists platform includes nationalizing industries and blocking the "increasing penetration of economy by multinationals." As of May 1991, communist-led governments have ruled three Indian states: West Bengal and Tripura in the east and Kerala in the southwest. |
| May 21, 1991 | Former Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi is assassinated (presumably by a Tamil rebel member) in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. |
| May 22, 1991 | 10 bombs explode in Agartala (capital of Tripura) wounding 11 people, as Congress party supporters went on a rampage. Six offices of the state's governing CPI(M) and 20 stores are set ablaze. Similar violence spreads across India as many protest the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. |
| May 24, 1991 | In Tripura, an alert is sounded as incidents of violence occur between Ghandi's Congress supporters and CPI(M) supporters in Udaypur. A curfew is ordered after two people are killed, four stabbed, and over 100 houses set afire. |
| Jun 6, 1991 | India's election campaign, suspended midway by Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, resumes with 8,500 candidates contesting elections to the 545-seat Lok Sabha (national parliament). P.V. Narasimha Rao succeeds Gandhi as Congress(I) president. The CPI(M) lost power in Tripura and Kerala but the two communist parties and their Marxist allies retain their 54 seats out of the 545 seats. |
| Jun 8, 1991 | The CPI(M) withdraws from national polls in Tripura state. The decision to pull out follows the Election Commission's rejection of a CPI(M) appeal to postpone balloting in the state on grounds of increased violence after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. CPI(M) politburo member Harkishan Singh Surjeet says "the Congress(I), in connivance with the state government, unleashed a pre-planned wave of terror against opposition parties and candidates in Tripura." |
| Jun 11, 1991 | Election-related violence kills six people in Tripura over the past three days. The latest violence includes bomb explosions, arson, and clashes between rival political party members. |
| Jun 12, 1991 | The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decides to boycott the Lok Sabha elections in Tripura, mentioning a free and fair poll would not be possible under the circumstances. Four people are killed and three kidnapped in separate incidents of pre-election violence in Tripura. A violent mob raids the house of Drishna Dev, a Tripura Congress(I) leader, at Manu in North Tripura and kidnaps him with his son and nephew. Deb's wife is killed in the incident. |
| Sep 1991 | Shoot-at-sight orders are issued during the night curfew period in the 839-km-long Indo-Bangladesh border. The order is in response to the increase in trans-border crimes and insurgent activities. |
| Oct 28, 1991 | A massive "combing" operation is launched in Tripura against insurgents of the All-Tripura Tribal Force. Four additional companies of Assam Rifles are sent to Agartala to help the state administration in combating insurgency. The state government imposes the Terrorist and Disruptive Activity Prevention Act as well as an indefinite night curfew along the Indo-Bangla border. |
| Nov 1991 | Unidentified gunmen shoot dead Shyam Hari Sharma, a candidate of the BJP party, in Tripura. |
| Dec 1991 | More than 500 people starve to death in Tripura following stormy rains. Over 300 deaths are reported in Chawmanu alone, the most isolated district of Tripura, in the past three months. A local politician, Shyazma Charan, says heavy rains wiped out the crops and a breakdown of public distribution system has led to "near-famine" conditions throughout the Tripura regions. |
| Feb 17, 1992 | A spokesperson for the Tripura Tribal Youth League (Tripura Upjati Juba Samiti-TUJS) says its eight members in the state's 60-seat assembly have resigned over the states inability to help starving tribal people, alleging that "We cannot share power with Congress. Their leaders are irresponsible and corrupt, not even sensitive to hundreds of deaths by starvation in tribal areas." Food shortages in the Tripura hills, near the Myanmar border, have erupted a small tribal insurgency in which some 70 people have been killed in the past few months (Reuters, February 17, 1992). |
| Feb 19, 1992 | The Tripura Chief Minister, Sudhir Ranjan Majumdar, resigns and recommends the dissolution of the state assembly, following the resignation of the eight TUJS members. India's ruling Congress Party patches up the fragile alliance with the TUJS to keep control of the state of Tripura by swearing in a new regional Congress leader, Samir Ranjan Burman, to head the coalition with the TUJS. |
| Mar 25, 1992 | The ruling Congress party wins the sole seat representing Tripura in the Rajya Sabha, Upper House of Parliament. |
| Apr 5, 1992 | An area commander and some seven other extremists of the All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF) surrender to the state Chief Minister of Tripura. The militants say they received training in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. The ATTF rebels have been demanding secession of Tripura from India and the expulsion of Bengali-speaking immigrant settlers. |
| May 26, 1992 | About 1,000 Bangladesh refugees, mostly Chakmas from disturbed CHT, have arrived in Tripura during the past month. Total number of Bangladesh refugees in India number 55,000. |
| Jun 12, 1992 | 218 secessionists of the outlawed Tripura Liberation Organizational Front (TLOF) surrender to authorities. The guerrillas also turn over a large amount of weapons and ammunition. The TLOF was established early this year to "liberate Tripura from exploitation by the colonial Indian government" (The Associated Press, June 13, 1990). Many of the TLOF's members broke away from the TNV after the latter signed a peace accord with the government in 1988. |
| Sep 5, 1992 | India decides to fence its entire border with Bangladesh by March 1996, to check Bangladeshis' infiltration. |
| Oct 4, 1992 | ATTF tribal guerrillas loot a large quantity of arms and ammunition from a police station in the Ganganagar district of Tripura, after fatally shooting four law enforcement officers and wounding four others. The Tripura government seals its border with Bangladesh to prevent the attackers from escaping. At least one guerrilla is killed in the attack. |
| Oct 6, 1992 | 20 rebels from the ATTF attack a police patrol at the Chankhola market in Tripura. Five guerillas are killed in the raid. In route to the scene of the shoot out, Deputy Inspector General P. Sahai's security guard kills three suspected guerrillas riding a scooter alongside his car. The guard claims the trio refused to stop and were acting "suspiciously." |
| Oct 11, 1992 | 16 tribal rebels are slain in police raids on two guerrilla hideouts in Tripura after security forces launched a crackdown on the insurgents. Police raid the central headquarters of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) in Chakakujra, Tripura. |
| Nov 14, 1992 | Tripura state cracks down on a massive police strike (for trade union rights and better wages) in Tripura, arresting 100 strike leaders and firing 2,000 policemen. Tripura's 13,000 policemen take part in the strike. At least 40 policemen are reported injured as paramilitary troops charged a strikers' rally. Communist-led opposition (probably CPI[M]) stage a general strike in Agartala to protest the government's crackdown. Another strike is waged by student organizations in protest of paramilitary troops' beating of striking policemen. |
| Nov 16, 1992 | Policemen call off a six-day strike after security forces arrest their leader, Prabir Das Choudhury. |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Two hardcore militants (who were going to Bangladesh to purchase arms and ammunition) are arrested by the Border Security Force on the Indo-Banglai border in West Tripura district. |
| Nov 23, 1992 | Tripura state's Minister for Transport, Food, and Civil Supplies, Motilal Saha, is injured along with nine others in a bomb blast in Sarilam District. |
| Dec 11, 1992 | An all-India strike called by the pro-Hindu BJP party has a "wide response" in Tripura. |
| Dec 16, 1992 | ATTF guerrillas raid the house of State Power and Energy Minister, Rabindra Debbarma, killing his brother and two nephews. Debbarma was not there. |
| Dec 31, 1992 | Three Border Security Force personnel are killed by ATTF militants in an ambush near Dalpatipara in South Tripura District. Two others are abducted and an intensive combing operation is conducted to apprehend the culprits. |
| Feb 4, 1993 | The Congress(I) President, P.V. Narasimha Rao, accuses the BJP of the recent communal riots in Tripura. |
| Feb 10, 1993 | In response to the alleged threat by the ATTF to thwart the assembly elections in Tripura (scheduled for February 15), the central government agrees to deploy 20 more companies of paramilitary forces (12,000 personnel) in Tripura to assist the state administration in the polls. |
| Feb 12, 1993 | The Election Commission issues an order postponing the date of polls to the Tripura Assembly from February 15 to the third week of April, because of fighting between rival parties and violence by the ATTF. The Commission requests that all the central observers be withdrawn from the state and that their safe passage be ensured. In the past two weeks, at least 17 people have been killed in pre-election related incidents. Several hundred Tripura tribals have crossed the border and taken shelter in Bangladesh. Armed clashes between the ATTF and the Youth Tribal Force of Tripura (YTFT) are reported. Both groups are demanding tolls from villagers and one group burns the village of Sukkura in Tripura when no tolls were paid. |
| Feb 13, 1993 | An all-day strike called by the ruling Congress(I)-TUJS coalition in Tripura to protest the postponement of Assembly elections evokes a total response and results in shops and businesses closing and private and public transport coming to a halt. |
| Feb 27, 1993 | The Tripura chief minister, Samir Ranjan Burman, tenders his resignation in Agartala. He is asked by the Governor to continue until further notice. |
| Mar 11, 1993 | India's federal government takes over the administration of Tripura state after weeks of political uncertainty. President Shankar Dayal Sharma puts Tripura under his direct rule. Tripura's main opposition party, the CPI(M) had demands central rule of the state and also calls for the sacking of Federal Steel Minister Santosh Mohan Dev. |
| Apr 3, 1993 | At least four people are killed and several injured in clashes between ruling Congress(I) members and opposition CPI(M) members during polling in Bishalgrah, west Tripura. Nearly 12,000 police and paramilitary personnel are deployed for the polls. At least 12 people are arrested in connection with violent incidents in Dharmanagar subdivision of northern Tripura district. |
| Apr 6, 1993 | The CPI(M) returns to power (they lost power in Tripura in June 1991) with a landslide victory in state elections in Tripura, handing a serious political setback to Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's Congress(I) party. Of the 60 Assembly seats, CPI(M) wins 44 while Congress (I) retains 10 and its ally the TUJS win one. |
| Apr 8, 1993 | Two persons are killed in violence following assembly elections in Tripura. Some houses are set on fire during the clash. |
| Apr 18, 1993 | Dasrarath Deb, a member of CPI(M), is sworn in as new Chief Minister of Tripura state. He is the first local tribal Chief Minister in the history of post-independence Tripura. Deb, 77, joined the undivided communist party of India in 1950 and was elected to the union lower house four times between 1952 and 1988. |
| Apr 19, 1993 | 18 persons, including 13 members of Congress(I), are been killed in Tripura's recent violence. |
| May 18, 1993 | The Federal Cabinet approves a scheme for issuing identity cards to people inhabiting border areas (including Tripura) which are prone to infiltration. |
| May 20, 1993 | The Indian army announces plans to open more schools to train its soldiers in new techniques in fighting insurgents. India's seven northeastern frontier states, including Tripura, are to remain out of bounds to foreigners due to security reasons and poor infrastructure, announced Tourism Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. |
| May 25, 1993 | Four Tripura State Rifles personnel are among six persons killed and three others injured in an ambush by the ATTF at Rajchantai in west Tripura. |
| Jun 8, 1993 | The repatriation of thousands of Chakma refugees to Bangladesh, due to begin today, is postponed because the refugees refused to go back. |
| Sep 6, 1993 | Tripura's Chief Minister Dasrath Deb announces amnesty in order to bring members of the underground ATTF into the state's mainstream. About 739 ATTF members surrender in Tripura after Deb offers the tribespeople more money for developing their villages and promises government help in protecting their culture and language. Deb gives 500 rupees ($17) to each of the guerrillas and promises jobs and bank loans to start businesses. Since 1990, the 1,200 guerrillas of the ATTF have killed more than 350 people and kidnapped at least 100 others for ransom (The Associated Press, September 6, 1993). The ATTF militants have killed about 130 people, most of them policemen and central government paramilitary forces since launching their guerrilla campaigns in 1990 (The Reuter Library Report, October 4, 1992). Hundreds of people have "perished" in Tripura insurgencies since the 1970s (Proprietary to the United Press International, September 6, 1993). |
| Sep 7, 1993 | More ATTF guerrillas surrender to the Tripura state government, bringing the total number to 918. Deb calls for the members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) to return to a more "normal" life and warns that stern action will be taken against those who do not. |
| Sep 20, 1993 | Tripura police spokesman, Bibhuti Chakrabarty, says at least 15 NLFT guerrillas stormed a police camp in Tripura's north district. Six to seven policemen are reportedly killed and nine others injured. |
| Nov 2, 1993 | Indian Police Superintendent of Manipur, A. Romenkumar Kuman, says the interrogations of recently arrested tribal guerrillas reveal that Bangladesh is training rebels in a special camp across the border. Bangladesh High Commission spokesman Mofakhar-ul Anam says he had no immediate comment. |
| Jan 14, 1994 | The Indian Home Ministry sounds a security alert in northeast India against the possibility of the different underground groups operating simultaneously. The alert follows the stepping up of insurgent activities in Manipur and Nagaland and continued acts of lawlessness in Tripura. The Indian army launches a massive crackdown against the armed insurgent groups in northeast India in early 1994. The Indian government plans to set up a separate armed force to deal with insurgency and a special meeting (scheduled for January 22 in Shillong), attended by Home Minister Chavan and all Chief Ministers of the northeastern states. |
| Jan 22, 1994 | Three insurgents of the NLFT including its self-styled Home Minister of Tripura, surrender unconditionally to the acting Chief Minister, Baidyanath Majumdar, at Agartala. To date, 85 insurgents have surrendered in response to the government's call. Majumdar said interrogations of the surrendered extremists reveal that NLFT guerrillas have been operating in Kanchanpur subdivision in north Tripura. |
| Jan 23, 1994 | Over 56,000 Chakma (Bangladesh-Buddhists) refugees living in Tripura (who had been fleeing Bangladesh since 1986) agree to go home, reported Indian agencies. |
| Jan 25, 1994 | One NLFT rebel is killed when a group of NLFT insurgents attacked a Border Security Force patrol in Chelate Bankul, a tribal hamlet in Tripura. |
| Feb 8, 1994 | 46 ATTF extremists surrender with their arms and ammunition to Tripura Revenue Minister in Kamalpur subdivision in north Tripura district. |
| Feb 16, 1994 | Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, P.M. Sayeed, rules out any possibility of imposition of central rule in the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland, but decline to comment on the law and order situation in Tripura. Tripura Chief Minister, Dasarath Deb, holds a meeting with Sayeed to discuss problems relating to the deployment of security forces in the state. Deb brings to the attention of Sayeed that 1,635 ATTF insurgents and 108 NLFT insurgents have surrendered so far, and he requests from Sayeed 49 million rupees for their rehabilitation. |
| Mar 9, 1994 | At least 16 people are injured, including 11 soldiers, in strike-related violence that includes bomb attacks. The violence-marred day-long strike hampers normal activities in Tripura. The state blames members of the opposition Congress(I) party for the bomb attack that injured the soldiers. The Congress(I) party calls the strike to protest the slaying of its youth leader, Kipanker N. Sharma, allegedly by Marxists. The strike shuts down government offices, banks, educational institutions, and road transportation. Police say they detained 809 Youth Congress(I) leaders in connection with the strike. To date, 1,635 insurgents of the ATTF and 108 insurgents of the NLFT have surrendered to the government of Tripura. |
| Mar 15, 1994 | ATTF guerrillas kidnap a tea company executive, Mrinal Kanti Saha, from his home and demand 1.2 million rupees (US$40,000) for his release. |
| Mar 30, 1994 | India's two main communist parties discuss a possible reconciliation after 30 years of division. They agree on one thing: free-market reforms are a Western capitalist plot to take over India. The two parties should cooperatively fight the central government's capitalist reforms from a common platform, says Harkishen Singh Surjit, head of the CPI-M. |
| Apr 30, 1994 | Tribal insurgents spray a marketplace with gunfire and hack to death six members of a family during an overnight raid on the village of Hawaibari in the state of Tripura. 300 residents flee the village. The incident sparks angry demonstrations in the region where people blocked highways to protest the attack. Outlawed tribal insurgents are campaigning against encroachment by thousands of Bangladeshis who have settled in Tripura. |
| Jun 6, 1994 | At least 100 people including former Chief Minister of Tripura, Sudhir R. Barman, are arrested in Agartala during a strike that paralyzed the state. Shops, markets, and banks are closed and vehicles did not ply on the roads while schools and colleges remain closed. The strike is called to protest the killing of a Congress (I) activist on June 4. Some leaders of the state Congress(I) party demand the imposition of presidents rule in Tripura. S. M. Deb, Indian Minister of State for Steel and a member of Parliament from Tripura, alleges that the law and order situation in Tripura has collapsed in the last 14 months and that several Congress(I) activists have been liquidated by the CPI(M)-led state government. S.M. Deb demands the resignation of the Chief Minister for failing to run the state administration. |
| Jun 12, 1994 | 24 insurgents of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NFLT) surrender to police in southern Tripura. The insurgents revolt against their leader, Dhananjoy Reang, stating that he kidnapped and tortured women (Xinhua News Agency, June 12/94). |
| Jul 20, 1994 | The Indian government is strengthening security in the northeastern states. Along with issuing photo identity cards for all citizens, police forces will be strengthened and an additional battalion is being considered for Tripura (Xinhua News Agency, July 20/94). |
| Jul 21, 1994 | The repatriation of over 3000 Bangladeshi refugees begins in the state in Tripura. Since the 1980s, Tripura has hosted around 56,000 Chakmas who fled the conflict in the home area of the Chittigong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. The repatriation process was halted in 1993 following claims by the refugees that they would be subjected to torture upon returning home (UPI, July 21/94). |
| Aug 11, 1994 | During the past two months, over 150 people, mostly children, have died of malaria in Tripura. Unofficial estimates put the death toll at 250. More than 10,000 people have reportedly been affected by the disease. Health workers have been reluctant to enter disease-stricken areas in the interior and hilly areas due to the insurgency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Aug. 11/94). |
| Nov 11, 1994 | An encephalitis epidemic in Tripura during the last ten months has resulted in the deaths of at least 100 children (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Nov. 11/94). |
| Nov 30, 1994 | Three foreign investment projects are approved by the Indian government. One of these, a $94 million power plant project will be set up in Tripura (Xinhua News Agency, Nov. 30/94). |
| Dec 5, 1994 | Members of the All Tripura Tribal Force accuse the Indian government of inadequate protection from rival insurgents. Some members of the ATTF sign an accord with the state government in September of 1993 resulting in the surrender of 1600 rebels. Around 17 members are killed in what the ATTF refers to as revenge killings (BBC, Dec. 5/94). |
| Mar 1, 1995 | Eight members of the Tripura Tribal Volunteer Force (TTVF) are killed during a gunfire exchange with police forces just south of the state capital, Agartala (Reuters, Mar. 1/95). |
| Apr 17, 1995 | Four people die and another 125 are taken ill after drinking unfiltered water from a pond in Tripura (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Apr. 17/95). |
| May 8, 1995 | A heat wave coupled with drought conditions leads to over 300 deaths from gastro-enteritis and malaria in the state of Tripura (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, May 8/95). |
| May 17, 1995 | In the hopes of increasing tourism and foreign investment, the Indian government abolishes the permit system for foreigners to visit Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya (BBC, May 17/95). |
| May 26, 1995 | A major gun battle between members of the Tripura Tribal Democratic Force (TTDF) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) leads to the deaths of seven TTDF fighters and two ATTF rebels. The battle, in an isolated hilltop tribal area, is reportedly over jurisdiction of the areas where the groups collect subscriptions (BBC, May 26/95). |
| Jun 9, 1995 | Six people are killed, including two police officers, and three others are injured when the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) ambushes a police vehicle (BBC, June 9/95). |
| Jun 25, 1995 | India and Bangladesh agree that the repatriation of Chakma refugees located in Tripura will resume after the monsoons. Over 50,000 Bangladeshi refugees are still sheltered in six southern Tripura camps (Xinhua News Agency, June 25/95). |
| Jun 30, 1995 | Two members of the All Tripura Volunteer Force (ATVF) are killed following an encounter with police forces in Dhaloi district in Tripura (BBC, June 30/95). |
| Jul 25, 1995 | The leader of the Tripura Tribal Democratic Force (TTDF), Subodh Debbarma, and 30 of his followers lay down their arms at a police station in western Tripura (BBC, July 25/95). |
| Jul 31, 1995 | Insurgents of the Tripura Tribal Volunteer Force (TTVF) are reported to have kidnapped two executive engineers of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission. The rebels demand one million rupees for their release (BBC, July 31/95). |
| Aug 3, 1995 | Seven persons are killed and three others injured in an attack which police sources attribute to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) (BBC, Aug. 3/95). |
| Aug 14, 1995 | In a number of incidents, seven people are kidnapped and one killed in Tripura. Among those kidnapped are two employees of the state electricity department. There was no indication as to which Tripura rebel group is responsible (BBC, Aug. 14/95). |
| Aug 24, 1995 | 51 members of the All Tripura Volunteers Association (ATVA) and 22 members of the Tripura Tribal Youth Force (TTYF) surrender to authorities in Manipur (BBC, Aug. 24/95). |
| Sep 15, 1995 | Rebels belonging to the National Liberation Force of Tripura (NLFT) ambush a police patrol in southern Tripura. Three policemen and one rebel are killed. Meanwhile, 18 rebels of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) surrender in Dhalai district (BBC, Sept. 15/95). |
| Oct 4, 1995 | Two police officers and four civilians are reported killed in various incidents in Tripura since September 30. The NLFT is reported to be involved in the incident that resulted in the deaths of the two policemen (BBC, Oct. 4/95). |
| Oct 5, 1995 | Four policemen are killed and two people injured when tribal insurgents ambush a police escort (BBC, Oct. 5/95). |
| Oct 6, 1995 | Three members of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) are among five people killed in Tripura during the past couple of days. It is not known who is responsible for the killings (BBC, Oct. 6/95). |
| Oct 27, 1995 | During the past 24 hours, three people are killed in Tripura. In one incident, the Tripura Liberation Organization (TLO) is suspected to be involved (BBC, Oct. 27/95). |
| Dec 17, 1995 | 134 members of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) surrender to police in Agartala, the state capital. During the past two years, around 3,660 militants have laid down their arms (BBC, Dec. 17/95). |
| Dec 22, 1995 | 22 members of the Tripura Tribal Youth Force (TTYF) and 18 of the Tripura Liberation Organization (TLO) turn themselves into police authorities in West Tripura (BBC, Dec. 22/95). |
| Dec 28, 1995 | An attack on a police post by the Tripura Resurrection Army (TRA) leads to the deaths of two people. Also, 27 rebels belonging to the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), led by their commander, Hatthu Singh Jamatia, surrender to police (BBC, Dec. 28/95). |
| Dec 29, 1995 | Around 106 tribal rebels turn themselves into police authorities in Tripura. So far this year, over 4,040 rebels have surrendered (BBC, Dec. 29/95). |
| Jan 20, 1996 | Members of the All Tripura Tiger Force killed six people and wounded 11 when they ambushed health workers involved in a mass campaign to immunize children against poliomyelitis. (Washington Post, 1/21/96). Pranab Debbarma, a legislator of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) and his personal body guard were abducted by the insurgents of the All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF). Police suspected he had been taken to Bangladesh. (BBC 1/22/96) |
| Feb 4, 1996 | Three persons including a three-year-old child were burned to death and about 20 others suffered serious burns when insurgents of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) set ablaze 13 huts in a village in Dhalai District in Tripura. About 25 NLFT insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons raided the village and fired indiscriminately when the villagers were asleep, then set the houses on fire. (BBC 2/6/96) |
| Apr 4, 1996 | A vehicle carrying soldiers of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guarding an oil drilling station was ambushed by members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) on the outskirts of the state capital Agartala. Six soldiers were killed. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 4/4/96) |
| May 13, 1996 | NLFT militants raided the Rathtilla market, tying up 15 people and shooting them, killing eight. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 5/13/96) |
| May 19, 1996 | Members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura threatened to kill government employees and activists of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) of the state of Tripura. The NLFT militants accused CPM activists of maintaining relations with insurgents of the All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and Resurrection Army. (BBC 5/20/96) |
| Jul 5, 1996 | Y.B. Chakraborty, the chairman of the local tea plantation owners lobby, died after being kidnapped on June 6 by the All Tripura Tigers Force. His assistant, who was also kidnapped, related the news of his death in ATTF custody after Chakraborty's family paid ransom for his release. (United Press International 7/14/96) |
| Aug 6, 1996 | The Tripura government created a new anti-insurgency force, the Tripura State Rifles, TSR, to combat militancy in the state. (BBC 8/8/96) |
| Sep 22, 1996 | The Tripura Upajati Juba Samity [TUJS], Tripura National Volunteers, Tripura Hill Peoples Party and Tripura Tribal National Conference - a breakaway faction of the TUJS - met in a convention and formed a joint action committee to build up a united movement for an autonomous state for the indigenous people. (BBC 9/26/96) |
| Oct 25, 1996 | Police shot dead a communist leader in Tripura by mistake during search operations for tribal rebels, leading the Tripura government to demand an inquiry. (Agence France Presse 10/25/96) |
| Nov 29, 1996 | India's Border Security Force (BSF) accused Pakistan of active involvement in the support of insurgents in Tripura, Nagaland and Assam. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 11/29/96) |
| Dec 13, 1996 | Unknown tribal militants raided a market in Kalyanpur around three in the morning, setting fire to houses and then shooting people as they fled. At least 23 people died with another 25 injured. The incident was considered India's worst massacre of the year. (Xinhua 12/13/96) |
| Dec 19, 1996 | Tripura's ruling CPI-(M) MLA [Member of Legislative Assembly]was rescued by Bangladesh police after being kidnapped with his bodyguard on January 19 by the All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF). (BBC 12/20/96) |
| Dec 20, 1996 | National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the National Militia Force (NMF), opened fire on security forces, trying to rescue three people they had abducted. Officials said the guerrillas killed two of their hostages, a police officer and six paramilitary soldiers, and fled into the jungle with the third hostage. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 12/20/96) |
| Jan 14, 1997 | The government of Tripura said that militants would not be tolerated after January 26, the country's Republic Day. The state offered to meet with any group to settle their grievances within the framework of the Indian constitution. (Agence France Presse 1/14/97) |
| Jan 31, 1997 | Tribal guerrillas shot dead seven local villagers and seriously injured three others in Manipur. Police suspected either the All Tripura Tiger Force or the National Liberation Front of Tripura. (Agence France Presse 1/31/97). Ten insurgents of the Tripura Resurrection Army surrendered to the authorities at Udaipur, the district headquarters of South Tripura, turning in some arms and ammunition. (BBC 2/1/97) |
| Feb 6, 1997 | About 1500 demonstrators protesting against police "inaction" in protecting the lives and property of the people and demanding release of Upendra Das, a local leader of the Amra Bangali, abducted by tribal militants a fortnight ago were prevented by the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) from forcibly entering a local office. The demonstrators then stoned the TSR, injuring four soldiers, who responded with teargas, batons, and eventually opening fire on the mob, killing a youth and injuring two others. Following the police action, the demonstrators rushed to the nearby Chebri area and set ablaze shops and houses and assaulted some tribals, killing two.(BBC 2/8/97) |
| Feb 12, 1997 | Eighteen people were killed and two others injured when a group of about 15 militants armed with sophisticated weapons opened fired at villagers and burned down their houses. The police suspected either the All Tripura Tiger Force or the National Liberation Front of Tripura. The ruling and opposition parties in Tripura called a strike the following day to protest the massacre. (Xinhua 2/12/97 & Agence France Presse 2/13/97) |
| Feb 16, 1997 | Authorities in Tripura issued shoot-on-sight orders after the Tripura National Volunteers, or TNV, raided two villages during curfew hours in the night and torched scores of houses of non-tribal residents, shooting and killed 21. (United Press International 2/16/97) |
| Feb 17, 1997 | Six additional companies of the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) were deployed in Tripura as part of a plan to deal with law and order situations throughout northeast India. (BBC 2/17/97). Soldiers foiled an attack on a village of Bengali settlers, killing a tribal separatist and capturing five others. (Guardian [London] 2/18/97) |
| Feb 19, 1997 | Fifteen guerrillas of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) surrendered, increasing to 155 the number of rebels detained over the three week period. (Agence France Presse 2/19/97) |
| Mar 8, 1997 | Seventy-seven militants of the Tiger Liberation Organization (TLO), including its self-styled commander, surrendered at Mungiabari in West Tripura. With this, the number of militants to surrender after the state government's appeal has gone up to 270. The TLO also surrendered guns, pistols and ammunition. (BBC 3/11/97) |
| Mar 12, 1997 | Twenty-five militants belonging to the All-Tripura Tiger Force, ATTF, surrendered to the authorities in south Tripura. The surrendered weapons included country- made guns like cartridges and explosives. With this, about 300 militants of various outfits were said to have surrendered in response to the Tripura government's call to militants to return to the national mainstream. (BBC 3/14/97) |
| Mar 28, 1997 | Four Buddhist monks formally re-entered Bangladesh, beginning the first wave of repatriation of the Bangladeshi tribal refugees from India. The monks were the first group of the 278 refugees of 64 families who returned to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Repatriation of the first batch of 6,700 tribal refugees from Tripura was scheduled to be completed by April 7. (Xinhua 3/29/97) |
| Apr 24, 1997 | A group of youths hurled acid bomb at two tribal students while they were returning home in Khowai. In retaliation, the mob attacked the youths, killing one of them on the spot. Police suspected the All-Tripura Bengali Force (ATBF) was behind the attack on the students. (BBC 4/25/97) |
| May 7, 1997 | Militants belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura attacked a paramilitary patrol at Khumlong, killing 20 soldiers. (Agence France Presse 5/7/97) |
| May 9, 1997 | Tribal guerrillas shot dead a senior police official and his armed guard in Manipur. (Agence France Presse 5/9/97) |
| May 14, 1997 | The Indian Home Ministry announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops in six of its seven far-eastern states hit by tribal separatist violence, including two additional battalions of 1,200 each to Tripura, and Manipur. (Agence France Presse 5/14/97) |
| May 19, 1997 | Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral offered unconditional talks to tribal guerrillas in the country's northeast. (Agence France Presse 5/19/97) |
| May 22, 1997 | During a tour of Tripura, Prime Minister Gujral directed the state government to create a politically conducive atmosphere for peace to deal with the insurgents. (BBC 5/23/97) |
| Jun 4, 1997 | At least five people were killed and two injured in a pre-dawn attack on sleeping villagers in a western district of Tripura. There were no claims of responsibility but police said they suspected tribal insurgents fighting for a homeland. (Agence France Presse 6/4/97) |
| Jun 10, 1997 | Tribal guerrillas gunned down 17 people, and injured another 20, in an ambush in Chawmanu, Tripura. The victims were traveling in two vehicles when the militants opened fire from a hill top. (Agence France Presse 6/10/97) |
| Jun 15, 1997 | In Tripura, security forces arrested 46 suspected militants in a series of raids in areas of Khowai District. The combing operations were conducted in connection with the June 10th ambush, which killed 18, including seven security personnel, were killed. (BBC 6/16/97) |
| Jul 6, 1997 | The Left Front Government decided not to hold elections to the village councils under the Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council, due to a pending Supreme Court ruling on the delimitation of four constituencies. Newspapers, however, accused the government of caving in to the insurgency. (The Statesman [India] 7/6/97) |
| Jul 9, 1997 | The Tripura Hill People's Party, which fought in the 1993 elections in alliance with the Left Front and eventually won a seat, opted out of the front and merged into a new party along with Tripura Tribal National Council (TTNC), a breakaway group of the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS). They called the new party the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT). However, the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) withdrew its initial support of the IPFT. (The Hindu 7/9/97) |
| Jul 28, 1997 | In response to an announcement that the Indian government had signed a peace agreement with the Nagaland rebels, the Tripura People's Democratic Front joined with other groups to announce a boycott of the forthcoming golden jubilee celebrations on Independence Day, to protest against "Indian colonialism, systematic process of Indianisation and economic exploitation." (The Statesman [India] 7/28/97) |
| Jul 30, 1997 | National Liberation Front of Tripura militants gunned down three Indian paramilitary soldiers and injured 11 others as they patrolled Natunbari. (Agence France Presse 7/30/97) |
| Jul 31, 1997 | National Liberation Front of Tripura separatists abducted a provincial legislator and his two guards from his house in Dhumacherra, Tripura. The rebels later demanded a million rupees (28,571 dollars) for his release. (Agence France Presse 7/31/97 & 8/5/97) |
| Aug 11, 1997 | The Army and the Assam Rifles adopted two hill villages in to enable about 25,000 villagers to participate in the Golden Jubilee celebration of Indian Independence in spite of the rebel call for a "total boycott" of the festivities. The people, particularly the non-tribal villagers in some areas, deserted their areas out of panic. (The Statesman [India] 8/11/97) |
| Aug 15, 1997 | On India's Independence Day, two women were shot by rebels in Tripura. (United Press International 8/15/97) |
| Aug 24, 1997 | In Tripura, a CPI-M [Communist Party of India -Marxist] activist was killed and two others seriously injured when militants raided the Sentry Bazaar village in Dhalai District. The incident took place just 10 minutes after the state home minister and industry minister had crossed the spot. Three members of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura were arrested at Satnala. Chinese-made ammunition was recovered from the arrested persons. (BBC 8/28/97) |
| Sep 7, 1997 | The Tripura State Home Minister announced that a total of 200 people, including paramilitary personnel, were killed and 84 others abducted by militants since January 1997 in Tripura. (BBC 9/9/97) |
| Sep 15, 1997 | Security measures were tightened for the 24-hour statewide bandh called by the Tripura Pradesh Youth Congress. The Tripura Chief Minister termed the bandh call as a "political conspiracy" aimed at disrupting the law and order situation in the state. The TPYC called the bandh to demand the dismissal of the ruling Left Front government and imposition of President's rule in the state. The youth Congress alleged the state government failed to protect the life and property of the people from the attack of insurgents. The Opposition Tripura Upajati Juba Samity and Tripura National Volunteer supported the bandh, which paralyzed the state. More than 2,500 Congressmen, including the former Chief Minister, Sudhir Ranjan Mazumder, were arrested for picketing. (The Statesman [India] 9/14/97 & 9/15/97) |
| Oct 5, 1997 | A dawn-to-dusk bandh called by the ruling CPI-M disrupted life in the Kamalpur sub-division of Tripura. The bandh was called in protest against a NLFT attack on a local party office in which one person was killed and a CPI-M state committee member abducted. Five others were injured as the gunmen fired indiscriminately. Three people were arrested in connection with the attack. (The Statesman [India] 10/5/97) |
| Oct 19, 1997 | Guerrillas belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) ambushed a bus and abducted five passengers, demanding one million rupees (28,000 dollars) for their release. The kidnappers later released one of the hostages, and killed three others. (Agence France Presse 10/30/97) |
| Nov 8, 1997 | Twenty people, including ten civilians, were killed in a bomb attack on two truckloads of border guards near the frontier with Bangladesh in Raishyabari, 106 miles south of Agartala. The army suspected the NLFT in the attack. (Los Angeles Times Mirror 11/8/97) |
| Nov 10, 1997 | Normal life was disrupted in Tripura following a dawn-to-dusk strike called by both the ruling Left Front and the main opposition Congress in protest against the November 8 killing of 20 people by militants. (BBC 11/11/97). A state-wide alert was sounded in Tripura after two people were killed and about 92 houses and shops torched in communal clashes and arson in Dhalai in the north and Maharani in south district. Altogether 25 persons - 19 from Maharani and six from Dhuraicherra - were arrested under charges of looting, arsoning, killing and using explosives. One person was shot dead and another electrocuted while two others were injured when a group of tribal miscreants attacked non-tribal houses at Maharani setting fire to 40 houses and five shops. About 47 houses were reduced to ashes by an irate mob in Dhuraicherra in Dhalai District following the recovery of the body the son of a Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] councillor, who was abducted by militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) on 31st October. (BBC 11/13/97) |
| Dec 11, 1997 | In West Tripura, two postal department employees, including a postmaster, were kidnapped by militants at Bisharamganj. Police in suspected militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura in the incident. (BBC 12/12/97) |
| Feb 9, 1998 | Militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura abducted the younger brother of the Tripura Minister for Public Health from Fatikchhara in north Tripura. In a separate incident at Bankul in South Tripura, NLFT militants raided the local CPI-M leader's house and abducted two of his brothers after not finding him. (The Statesman [India] 2/9/1998). Five members of two non-tribal families, including women and children, were gunned down by militants of the All Tripura Tiger Force at Padmabil, a hill village in West Tripura. Two persons were seriously injured in the attack. The militants torched several houses in the area before escaping. (The Statesman [India] 2/10/98) |
| Feb 11, 1998 | Militants killed 13 non-tribals and five jawans of the Tripura State Rifles and injured another 18 people in three separate incidents in West Tripura. An armed gang raided several houses at Urubadi, a hill village, gunning down four villagers and burning a 70-year-old woman alive. The militants also torched at least 30 houses belonging to non-tribals. In another incident, the All Tripura Tiger Force allegedly raided a sleeping village in Khowai, shooting dead seven people. Eight villagers suffered gunshot injuries and fourteen houses were set ablaze. In the third incident, five soldiers of the Tripura State Rifles were killed when suspected NLFT militants ambushed the vehicle in which they were traveling on the Ganganagar-Dhalai Road from the foothills in Dhalai district. The Tripura Home Minister claimed the attacks were aimed at disrupting the election process. (The Statesman [India] 2/12/98) |
| Feb 13, 1998 | The Indian government promised that Tripura would get additional Central forces to ensure peaceful polling on16 February. Thirty-six per cent of around 3,000 polling booths in Tripura had been declared highly sensitive. (The Statesman [India] 2/13/98) |
| Feb 16, 1998 | During relatively peaceful voting, the Left Front returned to power in Tripura for a consecutive second term, winning 41 seats of the 60-member house. The opposition Congress, Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS) and Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) coalition captured 18 seats. The remaining seat went to an independent candidate. (BBC 3/6/98) |
| Feb 18, 1998 | Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were imposed in Agartala following mounting tension after the 16 February polls. The order prohibited processions, public meetings and assemblies of more than five people in and around Agartala town. (The Statesman [India] 2/18/98) |
| Mar 19, 1998 | Seven persons were killed and in stepped-up attacks on select targets by underground groups in Tripura following the elections. Another four people lost their lives and nearly 50 were injured in post-poll clashes. A total of 16 villagers were also abducted by armed rebel groups. In one incident, four persons were picked up from a village in the Devipur area by National Liberation Front of Tripura rebels, apparently a retaliation against the conduct of an NLFT collaborator. (The Statesman 3/19/98) |
| Mar 21, 1998 | An Army major was among 11 people killed by militants in 36 hours of violence in Tripura. A member of the outlawed All- Tripura Tiger Force was also killed in an encounter with security forces. Members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura shot dead four of their collaborators for allegedly stealing money from the militant's funds. Altogether, 18 persons including the Army major, 5 CPI-M activists and eight tribal villagers had been killed by militants in the state since 7 March. (The Statesman [India] 3/21/98) |
| Mar 22, 1998 | Five Indian paramilitary troops were killed and two others injured in an ambush on their convoy of 16 troopers by All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) rebels in Ampura, Tripura. (Agence France Presse 3/22/98) |
| Mar 27, 1998 | The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India revealed misuse of government funds placed under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Areas district council. For example, while the government had granted Rs 5,114.50 lakh for tribal development projects up to 1987-88, the council submitted utilisation certificates for Rs 2,856.89 lakh only to the Accountant General in August, 1996. (The Statesman [India] 3/27/98) |
| Mar 31, 1998 | The health minister of Tripura and his younger brother were shot dead by suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) extremists in Dhalai district. The two went to attend a meeting in Abhanga to negotiate the release of another brother where they were ambushed by the militants. The ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Opposition Congress sponsored a bandh on April 2 to protest the killings. (BBC 3/31/98 & The Hindu 4/2/98) |
| Apr 3, 1998 | At least 35 houses, belonging to both tribals and non-tribals, were set afire in Macchuria, leading to a dusk-to-dawn curfew and shoot-on-sight orders for anybody indulging in arson and violence in the area. Sixteen people were arrested in connection with the violence. (BBC 4/4/98) |
| Apr 8, 1998 | Thirty passengers traveling in a private bus were abducted by unknown tribal militants in Atharamura area of Tripura state. The militants, drove away the private bus with 30 passengers to an unknown destination after leaving behind two women and a child. The NLFT soon claimed the kidnapping, and released all but six of the hostages after robbing them within a day. The group threatened to kill all the hostages if security forces were not immediately withdrawn from the Dhalai District of Tripura. They also demanded ransom. The incident caused Amnesty International to criticize the group for the first time. (Xinhua 4/8/98 & Agence France Presse 4/9/98 & BBC 4/13/98 & The Statesman [India] 4/17/98) |
| May 5, 1998 | Two National Liberation Front of Tripura militants were arrested by security forces from Khowai sub-division in West Tripura (The Statesman [India] 5/6/98) |
| May 6, 1998 | Two unidentified militants of the All Tripura Tiger Force were killed in an encounter between the Army and rebels at Achraibari in West Tripura district, which seriously injured a jawan. Another person was kidnapped by militants in a separate incident at Jirania in West Tripura. (The Statesman [India] 5/7/98) |
| Jul 12, 1998 | The All Tripura Tiger Force claimed to have initiated a move to float a joint front of rebel groups in the North-east. The group also accused the government of a reign of terror and abusing of tribal human rights by enforcing the Armed Forces Special Power Act and by inducting he Army in Tripura's hilly regions. ATTF flags were raised in some remote areas of Sadar and Khowai in west Tripura to celebrate the outfit's "foundation day." Meanwhile, Arun Devbarma, a hardcore NLFT rebel, was killed in an encounter with Assam Rifles jawans near Ampura. (The Statesman [India] 7/12/98) |
| Jul 15, 1998 | The Tripura Chief Minister, accused the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the CIA of backing the militancy in the State, saying he had specific information about a meeting between militants from the State and ISI agents. (The Hindu 7/15/98) |
| Aug 2, 1998 | National Liberation Front of Tripura extremists killed three persons and abducted another from Amarpur. In Manipur, a militant was killed in an encounter with police at Paboku. (British Broadcasting Corporation 8/4/98) |
| Aug 5, 1998 | According to a report entitled "Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey," published by Earthscan, London, and compiled by the Norwegian Refugee Council, recent violence in Tripura forced out about 30,000 non-tribals, mainly Bengalis (originally from the eastern state of West Bengal) who controlled trade and jobs to flee their homes. The survey alleged that tribal militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF) had engineered the mass exodus of non-tribals. Most of people displaced by violence in Tripura found shelter in government-run relief camps.(Inter Press Service 8/5/98) |
| Aug 8, 1998 | Indian radio reported that more troops were being sent to Tripura to battle an increase in the insurgency there. (British Broadcasting Corporation 8/10/98) |
| Aug 11, 1998 | Seven militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) were arrested in Tripura State. (British Broadcasting Corporation 8/11/98) |
| Aug 15, 1998 | On the 51st anniversary of Indian independence, five people in a passenger bus were gunned down and 14 injured when heavily armed militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura militants stopped a bus and fired indiscriminately. In another incident, militants gunned down three people, whom they had kidnapped earlier, in Amarpur area in south Tripura area. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 8/15/98) |
| Aug 20, 1998 | Panic gripped the residents of Khowai in West Tripura following notices served by the All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), printed on its letterhead, which asked people, including government employees, school teachers, businessmen and villagers, to pay an annual "tax" within 15 days. Many villagers of Sidhai, Mohanpur and adjoining areas of Khowai subdivision fled after receiving the notice. (British Broadcasting Corporation 8/20/98) |
| Aug 29, 1998 | About 25 militants said to belong to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) opened fire on workers constructing a road in the state's Dhalai district, killing six of them. One person later died of his injuries in hospital while eight others were hospitalized. Four workers were reported missing but the police could not confirm whether they managed to escape or were abducted. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 8/29/98) |
| Sep 2, 1998 | The Tripura Chief Minister admitted that some 94 Government employees were suspected to have abetted extremists in the State and added that they had been transferred from their posts. (The Hindu 9/3/98) |
| Sep 5, 1998 | NLFT rebels fired at a private jeep carrying traders returning from a hill market in Takarjala, West Tripura, killing one passenger. The militants kidnapped 11 of the passengers but later released three of them. They demanded RS 70 lakh ransom for the remaining hostages. (The Statesman [India] 9/5/98 & 9/9/98) |
| Sep 24, 1998 | Suspected NLFT separatist rebels killed one person and kidnapped 11 people traveling on a bus in southern Tripura. (Agence France Presse 9/24/98) |
| Sep 25, 1998 | Rebels believed to belong to the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) guerrilla group hijacked two buses in the south of Tripura and kidnapped 10 commuters at gunpoint. (Agence France Presse 9/25/98) |
| Oct 2, 1998 | The All Tripura Tiger Force released a state health service employee they abducted on 21 September. The All Tripura Junior Doctors' Association and the state unit of the Indian Medical Association had earlier organized demonstrations demanding his immediate release. The militants did not demand any ransom; but was reportedly abducted and asked to treat militants who had gone underground in the area. (The Statesman [India] 10/3/98) |
| Oct 3, 1998 | Telecom employees threatened to protest from 5 October unless the government secured the release of one of their colleagues abducted by the National Liberation Front of Tripura from Paharpur in South Tripura on 25 September. (The Statesman [India] 10/3/98) |
| Oct 5, 1998 | The All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) threatened to kill any women not wearing traditional dress in the workplace. The ATTF, which is fighting for an independent tribal homeland in the state, said the edict was aimed at "preserving the distinct cultural heritage of the tribals which has been threatened by western influences." Non-tribal women's groups called for police protection following the ATTF threat, especially those living in the militant stronghold areas of western and southern Tripura. (Agence France Presse 10/5/98) |
| Oct 8, 1998 | National Liberation Front of Tripura guerillas gunned down a tribal leader who also held senior CPI(M) posts, including leader of the CITU and the Gana Mukti Parishad, the frontal tribal organizations of the ruling CPI(M). The CPI(M) called for a twelve-hour bandh to protest the killing. In another incident, a group of people hacked to death two tribal youths at Jolaibari in south Tripura district because the youths, who fled the market after seeing Tripura State Rifles jawans, were believed to be militants. In retaliation to the killing, tribal people attacked a non-tribal dominated village and assaulted many people. (The Hindu 10/9/98) |
| Oct 9, 1998 | At north Tripura's Chancap, a CPI-M member and his entire family, including three children, were killed by the NLFT shortly after midnight. (The Statesman [India] 10/9/98) |
| Oct 11, 1998 | National Liberation Front of Tripura militants shot dead eight people, all non-tribals save one, at Trisabari in West Tripura's Teliamura area. A tribal youth was later lynched in the area. About 16 ultras of the outlawed NLFT attacked Trisabari, a colony of Bengali refugees, torching at least 12 houses, then firing indiscriminately at fleeing villagers. The ruling CPI-M called a state-wide bandh in protest against the Centre's "non-cooperation" in tackling militancy. (The Statesman [India] 10/11/98) |
| Oct 19, 1998 | A senior CPI-M tribal leader and former MLA and a member of the party's state committee, was shot dead allegedly by NLFT militants at Durgapur in the Gandachhara hill region of south Tripura. He was on the rebels' hit list for several years. A 24-hour "bandh" is being observed in the region in protest against the killing. (The Statesman [India] 10/19/98) |
| Oct 22, 1998 | Chief Minister of northeastern Indian state of Tripura said his government was ready to negotiate with the militants on both federal and state levels to solve the insurgency problem in the state. The minister said killings and kidnappings would not solve the problems of the tribals, and appealed to the militants to shun the path of violence and work for Tripura's development. (British Broadcasting Corporation 10/22/98) |
| Nov 4, 1998 | At least six people were killed by militants in Tripura's West and Dhalai districts. Eighteen villagers were seriously injured in the rebel attacks. (The Statesman [India] 11/4/98) |
| Nov 21, 1998 | Two CPI-M leaders were killed and three persons kidnapped in separate incidents in Tripura yesterday. NLFT militants gunned down a CPI-M leader in West district and a former CPI-M panchayat member of Kehengrai. (The Hindu 11/22/98) |
| Jan 16, 1999 | Six different tribal groups, including the Tripura's Peoples Democratic Front, called a boycott of India's Republic Day celebrations and a general strike. They said they were protesting against the "Indian government's colonial occupation." (Agence France Presse 1/16/99) |
| Jan 28, 1999 | The Tripura Government announced a 25-point tribal development package for 1999-2002 to improve the education, socio- economic infrastructure, socio-culture and health of tribals. The State Government, with the help of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the Rubber Board and the Coffee Board, would raise rubber on 5,000 hectares, coffee on 500 and tea on 1,500 hectares thereby benefiting a minimum of 5,000, 500 and 1,500 families respectively by 2002. At least 2,000 tribal youths would be assisted under self-employment programs. About 500 junior basic schools in TTAADC areas would be provided with pucca buildings by 2002 and at the 244 junior basic schools having only one teacher would be provided with another by December. Six residential schools exclusively for tribal students, would be opened which would be managed by the Tripura Tribal Welfare Residential Schools Society, an autonomous body under the Tribal Welfare Department. (The Hindu 1/28/99) |
| Feb 3, 1999 | Four non-tribals were killed and one seriously injured by a group of about 25 armed NLFT insurgents who swooped on Kanchanmala village's market. Enraged with the attack, a group of non-tribals attacked Marak basti, a tribal hamlet, and set ablaze at least 100 huts charring to death one of the residents. Several others were reported missing. (BBC 2/3/99) |
| Mar 10, 1999 | At least six militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) were killed in a clash with Indian army troops in Tripura. The soldiers cordoned off a militant hide-out and opened fire, killing the armed militants on the spot. Some Chinese-made weapons and ammunition were recovered. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 3/10/99) |
| Mar 27, 1999 | The center announced a rehabilitation package for militants who laid down their arms in the northeastern region. The objective of the scheme was "to win away the misguided youths and hardcore militants who had strayed into the fold of militants and now find themselves trapped in that net," as well as to ensure that the militants who have surrendered do not find it attractive to join militancy again. Militants who surrender with at least one weapon would initially be lodged in a rehabilitation camp with facility for training in a particular trade, a stipend of 2,000 rupees per month for a period of 12 months and free food and lodging in the camp. (British Broadcasting Corporation 3/29/00) |
| Mar 31, 1999 | The Tripura chief minister expressed anxiety over the manner in which outlawed rebel outfits were making a determined bid to dominate state politics and influence elections. Both the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force had tried to disrupt the Assembly polls and the Lok Sabha elections in February 1998. (The Statesman [India] 3/31/99) |
| Apr 2, 1999 | A newspaper reported on the escalating clashes between members of the NLFT and the ATTF. More than 500 houses of tribals and Bengalis were burnt in the last three months. A large number of families, who had deserted their villages following the violence, had not returned. Meanwhile, the NLFT leadership denied responsibility of the recent incidents of arson and accused the All- Tripura Tiger Force and its fringe groups for the burning of the houses. The NLFT has and warned the ATTF with dire consequences if it did anything with the aim of "maligning the NLFT's image." (The Statesman [India} 4/2/99) |
| Apr 11, 1999 | Tribal separatist rebels killed five non-tribal people and critically injured six others in Tripura. About 15 members of the National Liberation Force of Tripura, armed with grenades and assault rifles, swooped down on the market and fired indiscriminately as non-tribal shopkeepers were downing their shutters in the village of Tulamura, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of the state capital.(Agence France Presse 4/11/99) |
| Apr 14, 1999 | The week-long Garia puja of Tripura's hill people began at Daria Bagma in South district, defying a militants ban on the festivity. There are different opinions about the Garia's identity, which might be either a representation of Shiva or an exclusively tribal deity. Members of Tripura's Jamatiya hill clan were the only ones able to organize the Garia puja. People from other tribal clans and Bengalis living in the hill regions participated in the festival every year. The NLFT had imposed ban on performing the Garia puja in April, instructing Jamatiya people to arrange the Garia puja in December instead of April. (The Statesman [India] 4/14/99) |
| May 23, 1999 | India's federal Home Ministry has extended the ban on the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) for another six months for their involvement in anti-national activities. A Home Ministry notification said both the organizations had been involved in killings, abductions and fuelling communal tension in the region and the state compelling people to live in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Both the militant outfits were banned by the federal government on the recommendation of the state government under Terrorist Activities Prevention Act 1967 in April 1997, following a series of killings, arson and abductions in the state. (British Broadcasting Corporation 5/23/99) |
| Jun 11, 1999 | NLFT ultras kidnapped five people, including a teacher, in South and West districts. (The Statesman [India] 6/11/99) |
| Jun 25, 1999 | An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with the BSF at Ashrambari in West Tripura. In a separate incident, rebels shot dead a police officer in Sibsagar. (The Statesman [India] 6/26/99) |
| Jul 6, 1999 | Four militant organizations - Ulfa, Manipur People's Liberation Front (comprising Prepak, UNLF and RPF), NSCN and the Tripura People's Democratic Front - called for boycott of the Prime Minister's visit to the region on 9 July to express "solidarity with the Kashmiri people." (The Statesman 7/6/99) |
| Jul 10, 1999 | Five Tripura State Rifles personnel and a driver were shot dead by NLFT insurgents in an ambush near Takumbari in South. The militants ambushed two vehicles in which the TSR jawans were escorting a private bus carrying passengers from Jatanbari to Takumbari near Chittagong hills of Bangladesh. In a separate incident the day before, the NLFT ultras waylaid a bus plying along the Chhamanu-Chhailengta road in North Tripura and kidnapped four passengers at gun point. The Tripura People's Democratic Front, the political unit of the outlawed All Tripura Tiger Force, urged the "state's patriotic people" to observe the 10th anniversary of the ATTF's formation throughout Tripura. (The Statesman 7/10/99) |
| Jul 13, 1999 | The All Tripura Tiger Force warned politicians not to participate in the three-tier panchayat poll on 16 and 19 July. More violence was expected with the recently-floated Bengal Tiger Force training their guns on tribals, apparently with the motive of inciting ethnic tension. (The Statesman [India] 7/13/99) |
| Jul 22, 1999 | The last phase of the three-tier panchayat polls in Tripura witnessed large-scale rigging reportedly by the ruling CPI(M) workers. Sporadic incidents of violence had also been reported from many booths. Reports indicated that in many booths the Congress(I) agents were intimidated and chased out of the centre while party sympathizers were not allowed to cast their votes. The CPI(M) activists reportedly went on a bogus-voting spree. (The Hindu 7/23/99) |
| Aug 12, 1999 | NLFT separatist rebels killed four people and injured three others when they opened fire on a village in Tripura's Manu district and fired indiscriminately. Three other people were abducted for ransom. (Agence France Presse 8/12/99) |
| Sep 5, 1999 | A group of about 25 insurgents of the NLFT, armed with sophisticated weapons raided Brindaban Ghat market under Khowai police station of West and opened indiscriminate firing from three sides killing a 65-year-old man on the spot and injuring three others. In a separate incident, NLFT insurgents kidnapped a CPI(M) activist from Dakmura in S. Tripura district yesterday. Police recovered his body the following day. (The Hindu 9/6/99) |
| Sep 5, 1999 | About 25 NLFT militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the Block Development Office at Manu in Dhalai district and fired several rounds before kidnapping sixteen officials, including 13 panchayat secretaries. The militants later demanded Rs 1 crore ransom for the officials. Earlier, the NLFT militants ambushed a bus at Taichakma on the Teliamura-Amarpur road in south Tripura, killing one person and injuring two others as they showered bullets from automatic weapons from two sides of the road when the bus approached the spot. (The Hindu 9/7/99 & 9/11/99) |
| Sep 8, 1999 | Tripura observed a dawn-to-dusk bandh to protest against increasing insurgent activities in the state and abduction of 16 government employees by NLFT militants on the 6th. The bandh was called by the congress, Trinamool Congress and the BJP who demanded dismissal of the left front government for, what they allege, total failure to protect lives and properties of common people. (British Broadcasting Corporation 9/8/99) |
| Sep 15, 1999 | Militants have stepped up violence in Tripura on the eve of polls. A CPI-M tribal leader, was shot dead by NLFT insurgents in Amarpur. In a separate incident, militants waylaid a private jeep on the Takarjala- Golaghati, killing one and kidnapping another passenger. (The Statesman 9/18/99) |
| Sep 18, 1999 | The National Liberation Front of Tripura intensified pressure on tribal voters in many areas to vote for the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura, a joint front of Tripura Hill People's Party, Tripura Tribal National Conference, Tripura Tribal Students Federation and a faction of the state-level Tribal Employees Organization. All the four units were formed by breakaway factions of the Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti which has snapped its ties with the TPCC to forge an alliance with the BJP. The All Tripura Tiger Force, known for its Marxist leanings, launched an attack on the ruling CPI-M this time. (The Statesman [India] 9/18/99) |
| Sep 22, 1999 | At least four paramilitary soldiers were killed when tribal militants belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura ambushed them, taking away arms and ammunition. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 9/22/99) |
| Sep 26, 1999 | At least eight paramilitary soldiers were killed when tribal militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura ambushed them on a Tripura highway, taking their guns and ammunition. (Deutsce Presse-Agentr 9/26/99) |
| Sep 30, 1999 | Charging the Baptist Church with supporting terrorists and accusing the Marxist Government in Tripura of turning a blind eye to such acts, the RSS today threatened to stage a nationwide stir if four of its activists abducted by the NLFT were not released immediately. The NLFT had demanded Rs. 2 crores as ransom for their release. He also criticized human rights organizations for highlighting only atrocities against the minorities and not the majority community. Terming the abduction as "political", he linked the kidnappings to his organization's opposition to mass conversions in the tribal belt. (The Hindu 9/30/99) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 4, 1999 | Air Force helicopters patrolled the air over Tripura to ensure fair elections, while the patrols along the Bangladesh border were also tightened. (The Statesman [India] 9/30/99) |
| Oct 3, 1999 | Seven people including four members of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were shot dead by tribal insurgents Tripura state during the final phase of voting in the area. Two security personnel were killed in a separate ambush by suspected insurgents at Ishwarchandra Rojapara in Dhalai District. The security patrol was escorting polling officials with ballot boxes. Two persons were killed and three injured in an encounter between outlawed All Tripura Tiger Front and security personnel at a polling booth in Durgadhan in West Tripura district. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 10/3/99 and British Broadcasting Corporation 10/4/99) |
| Oct 7, 1999 | Guerrillas of the outlawed All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) raided Bachaibari village in Tripura and attacked several villagers who voted in the October 3 polls. They kidnapped a 27-year-old male voter and freed him a day later after chopping off his left hand. (Agence France Presse 10/9/99) |
| Nov 7, 1999 | The Indian government extended the ban on the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) - for the next six months. According to an official press release, the two outfits were trying to disturb normalcy and indulging in secessionist activities along with other militant groups of the northeast region. (BBC 11/8/99) |
| Nov 15, 1999 | Insurgents shot dead 17 people, including two women, in Tripura. The guerrillas also injured 11 and abducted four others in the attack on Panchabati village, 60 kilometers from the state capital. The attackers belonged to the All Tripura Tiger Force. The killing later sparked a strike by both Tripura's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) as well as the opposition. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 11/15/99 and Agence France Presse 11/16/99) |
| Nov 22, 1999 | Eight Indian policemen were killed and five injured when tribal insurgents from the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) ambushed their vehicles in Tripura. Militants opened fire and hurled grenades on two police vehicles from a hill on a road bend in the south Tripura area. The police vehicles, on their way to an anti-insurgency operation, were also badly damaged by landmines planted by the guerrillas. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 11/22/99) |
| Dec 8, 1999 | Militant members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura stormed the Sripur market and fired indiscriminately into the crowd, killing five people and injuring 10 others. The gunmen also burned down several shops and a seed depot. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 12/9/99) |
| Dec 9, 1999 | Hundreds of villagers who formed a vigilante group in Tripura requested arms from the government to take on rampaging tribal separatist guerrillas. They planned to use them to protect the entry and exit points of their village, Panchabati. (Agence France Presse 12/10/99) |
| Dec 12, 1999 | The Tripura National Volunteers, which surrendered en masse to the Indian government in 1988 and later formed their own political party, said they would shoulder the responsibility of bringing frontline rebel groups to the negotiating table. The chief minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar, said the government was prepared to hold "unconditional" peace talks with the main militant groups in the state. (Agence France Presse 12/13/99) |
| Dec 20, 1999 | The much-touted surrender-and-rehabilitation scheme drawn up by the Union Home Ministry, had to this point found no takers in Tripura. The Home Ministry had announced this scheme hoping to bring back hardcore militants to the mainstream. (The Hindu 12/20/99) |
| Dec 22, 1999 | NLFT insurgents announced their plan for an "ethnic cleansing" in the hill Tripura autonomous region. According to state Intelligence reports, National Liberation Front of Tripura leaders met in November at Dighinala in Bangladesh's Chittagong hill tracts and planned to step up violence for driving out Bengalis from the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council region. In most areas of the hill autonomous region, rebels extorted non-tribal and tribal villagers and terrorized Bengalis into leaving their villages and townships. (The Statesman [India] 12/22/99) |
| Dec 24, 1999 | Three non-tribal villagers were killed and five injured seriously in an attack by the NLFT in Sonamura sub-division of West Tripura. The militants took two villagers hostage with them. After the attack, a mob of non-tribals set fire to at least 20 tribal homes in the area. A 12-hour general strike, called by the local CPI-M, was later observed in the subdivision in protest against the killings. In another attack, the NLFT raided the Rambhadra area, and shot at a tribal youth who had opposed the NLFT's moves on conversion. (The Statesman [India] 12/25/99) |
| Jan 8, 2000 | The Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti urged the Prime Minister to give more powers to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council by amending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The TTAADC was set up in 1982 to enable hill people to participate in the process of local governance. Now three-tier panchayats are enjoying more powers than the TTAADC. (The Statesman [India] 1/8/00). Five people were killed and six seriously injured when All Tripura Tiger Force insurgents fired at their jeep on Khowai-Asarambari road in West Tripura. The rebels set fire to the jeep before escaping. There were three non-tribals among the victims. Police suspected the militants might have crossed over to Bangladesh after the attack. (The Statesman [India] 1/8/00) |
| Jan 18, 2000 | On the eve of the Prime Minister's visit to the region, 10 north-eastern rebel units - including the United Liberation Front of Assam, NSCN-K, United Liberation Front, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, the Revolutionary People's Front, People Liberation Organization of Kangleipak and the National Liberation Front of Tripura - jointly issued a call urging people to boycott the Republic Day functions. (The Statesman [India] 1/18/00). Insurgents burnt down 31 non-tribal homes inUrabari, in one a series of raids on the West District locality. More than 100 families fled their homes. (The Statesman [India] 1/20/00) |
| Jan 19, 2000 | At least five people were kidnapped and a number of houses burnt by ultras in Tripura. (The Statesman [India] 1/19/00) |
| Jan 20, 2000 | The Congress Party of Tripura requested a formal investigation into allegations that the National Liberation Front of Tripura Terrorists gangraped at least 20 Muslim girls at gunpoint in South Tripura's Raiabari early in December. The reports did not surface due to villagers' fears of the rebels, and minority villagers of the area, in Udaypur sub-division, were fleeing their homes under terrorist pressure. The state BJP chief and the TUJS president said the alliance would soon launch a state-wide agitation to press for Presidents' rule. In other incidents, armed terrorists kidnapped four villagers from Khowai and two fishermen from Rasyabari, South Tripura. The security forces nabbed a hardcore NLFT member at Thelakum, South District, while elsewhere in the district, the forces arrested 10 terrorist collaborators and seized from them ammunition and documents. A police patrol surprised by militants fought a gun battle on the Assam-Agartala national highway at Shikaribari, North Tripura. The rebels fled after 20 minutes. (The Statesman [India] 1/20/00) |
| Jan 22, 2000 | Four CRPF Central Reserve Police Force soldiers and a driver were killed and seven others injured when National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants ambushed an escort party in Dhalai District. (British Broadcasting Corporation 1/22/00) |
| Jan 24, 2000 | A 12-member NLFT gang stormed the Bansibari area in West Tripura, beating up at least 12 villagers, including a CPI-M leader who died of his injuries. In separate incidents, two villagers were kidnapped from the Jirania area of West Tripura, and shot dead in a nearby forest. Eleven villagers, including two class five students, were abducted by the NLFT from Sadhuchandra para in Kumarghat of North Tripura while a girl of class nine was critically injured after NLFT rebels fired at a house at Patichhari, Belonia, south Tripura. They abducted her younger sister before escaping. A 12- hour "bandh"called by the Trinamul Congress - was observed in the town and its adjacent areas, in protest against the kidnapping. (The Statesman [India] 1/25/00) |
| Jan 26, 2000 | Suspected tribal militants ambushed a vehicle in Tripura state killing one person and seriously injuring two others, and triggered two blasts as they enforced a strike to mark annual Republic Day celebrations. (Agence France Presse 1/26/00) |
| Feb 7, 2000 | About 25 extremists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura gunned down three people and kidnapped two others in the Tolagam local market in North Tripura. (British Broadcasting Corporation 2/9/00) |
| Feb 16, 2000 | An Indian newspaper reported on the differences between the major Tripura political parties on the Tripura insurgency. While leaders of the TUJS, TNV and the Hill Organizations' Alliance apparently wanted to give legitimacy to the ethnic "rebellion," leaders of the main Opposition party, Congress, felt the government's apathy in dealing with the tribal ultras fueled their activities. The TUJS and TNV, in a debate in the state's assembly, the insurgency was the result of the hill people's fear of being reduced to nonentity in their land because of unabated influx from across the border, which would be protected if the Tripura were given an autonomous tribal state within Tripura under the Constitution's Article 244 (A). Congress, said the move to extend moral legitimacy to wanton killings, torching of houses and abduction was encouraging the rebel groups to drive out the nontribals from the autonomous areas. The BJP state unit, had an alliance with the TUJS, but opposed the latter's demand for an autonomous tribal state within Tripura and withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958. (The Statesman [India] 2/16/00) |
| Feb 18, 2000 | The manager of Ganganagar tea estate near Dharmanagar, about 180 km from Agartala in Tripura, was shot dead by militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura. When his wife tried to resist, she was hit on the head with rifles and chased away by the assailants. (The Hindu 2/19/00) |
| Feb 23, 2000 | Anti-BJP factions of the Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti stepped up pressure on the party leadership to snap ties with the majority party. The factions - including those who embraced Christianity - wanted the TUJS, to unite tribal political forces before elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Following BJP's return to power at the Centre in 1998, a delegation of senior TUJS leaders visited New Delhi to discuss the party's five-point charter of demands, including the floating of an autonomous hill state within Tripura under provision of Article 244 (A), but did not get a favorable response. (The Statesman [India] 2/23/00) |
| Mar 1, 2000 | Two tribal villagers were killed and several others injured when a jeep was attacked by suspected militants of the United Bengali Liberation Front in Tripura's West district. Elsewhere in the state, at least four villagers were kidnapped by tribal gunmen in West Tripura. At least seven policemen were injured when over 1000 tribal women attacked a police convoy transporting an arrested NLFT member at Futamara, West Tripura. The women, armed with lethal weapons, cordoned off the police party and tried to snatch the militant from the securitymen Even as the police were fending off the attack, insurgents who were hiding nearby, fired at them. In a separate incident, a tribal villager, was injured when unidentified extremists hurled bombs at him near Chhailengta, north Tripura, last night. (The Statesman [India] 3/1/00) |
| Mar 8, 2000 | The Tripura government raised a special task force to fight escalating militancy in the state. The special task force personnel were earlier selected from the Tripura State Rifles and trained in counter insurgency, jungle warfare, anti-hijacking, and bomb detection and disposal, and were given additional compensation for joining the force. (The Statesman [India] 3/8/00) |
| Mar 9, 2000 | An Indian newspaper described the growing political split between the various militant Tripura organizations. The All Tripura Tiger Force came down heavily on the National Liberation Front of Tripura for its "anti-tribal stance" and underground factionalism. It also questioned NLFT's pro-church stance and its emphasis on uniting hill parties, if it truly wanted a sovereign republic for Tripura.. The NLFT had warned tribal villagers to only vote for the IPFT, which some saw as the NLFT's political wing. The ATTF had traditionally supported the Left. (The Statesman [India] 3/9/00) |
| Mar 24, 2000 | The Opposition Congress, TUJS and the TNV refused to work with the ruling Left to persuade underground rebels to shun violence and return to the mainstream. Therefore, a senior TUJS leader, had initiated a proposal to dissolve the state-level coordination committee on security affairs, headed by the Tripura chief secretary, to give armed forces a "free hand" to combat insurgents. (The Statesman [India] 3/24/00) |
| Apr 3, 2000 | The four-party Opposition alliance, led by the BJP, announced it would boycott elections to the Tripura hill areas autonomous district council in view of the increased rebel violence. The four parties claimed that free and fair elections were not possible in the region, in light of an NLFT announcement that it would not allow any party other than the IPFT to campaign in its territory. The Tripura People's Democratic Front, political wing of the All Tripura Tiger Force, also appealed to hill tribesmen to boycott the polls. The Congress party later made a similar request to delay the polls. (The Statesman [India] 4/3/00) |
| Apr 13, 2000 | During three days of violence in Jirania area, 600 huts were torched and 7,000 people rendered homeless. The ethnic clashes began after a tribal youth sustained a bomb injury in Charpastha. Police had issued curfews and shoot-on-sight orders, and arrested 28 people. (British Broadcasting Corporation 4/13/00) |
| Apr 15, 2000 | At least 25 suspected NLFT rebels stormed Khas Kalyanpur village in Tripura, setting fire to several shops and houses. As the villagers ran for their safety, the rebels rained bullets on fleeing villagers from automatic weapons, killing at least 12. At least three villagers were abducted by the assailants. Local police officials say that attack was linked to the provincial elections slated later in April. (United Press International 4/16/00) |
| Apr 17, 2000 | Three Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 injured when about 20 tribal separatist rebels ambushed their convoy about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Agartala, Tripura. (Agence France Presse 4/17/00) |
| Apr 20, 2000 | In an attack in Tripura, activists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), raided Laxmipur village and killed eight members of the majority Bengali community. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 4/20/00) |
| May 2, 2000 | In Jirania hill township, NLFT insurgents killed two non-tribal farmers, prompting "hoodlums" to lynch two tribal youths in revenge. Meanwhile, rebels fired at a polling booth at Padmamohan Bari in West Tripura's Khowai sub-division when a repolling was in progress. Tripura State Rifles jawans returned the fire. The repolling was abandoned after the rebel attack. (The Statesman [India] 5/2/00) |
| May 3, 2000 | Tripura's ruling Left Front demanded a repoll in 138 booths, citing "large-scale rigging of hill council polls," but the commission for the hill autonomous council polls ordered repoll in only 14 booths. The Left Front claimed that many presiding officers did not dare to file complaints in writing, fearing rebel attacks. They cited instances in council constituencies of Khowai where collaborators of the NLFT forced CPI-M polling agents to leave polling booths and asked people to show ballot papers after voting to members the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura present there. At a booth in Padmamo-honpara in Khowai subdivision, militants fired when polling was in progress on 30 April. At least 14 were injured, six seriously, in a clash between members of the CPI-M and the IPFT during elections at Birchandranagar. (The Statesman [India] 5/3/00) Police recovered the body of a tribal villager reportedly killed by insurgents at Takchh-apara in South Tripura's Amarpur subdivision. Kusumpada. At Pani Sagar, North Tripura, five tribal villagers, including two women, were injured when suspected militants of the United Bengali Liberation Front hurled bombs at them. At Bandarghat, South Tripura, five government school teachers were reported missing since 1 May. (The Statesman [India] 5/3/00) |
| May 5, 2000 | Election officials announced that the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura had secured an absolute majority in Tripura's hill areas autonomous district council by capturing 13 seats. The Left Front won nine seats, CPI-M got seven and the CPI and the Forward Bloc - both front constituents - got one each. Elections were held for 27 seats. One seat had been won uncontested by the CPI-M and two members would be nominated by the Governor in the 30-seat council. The ruling Left Front later claimed that the voting had been influenced by threats of violence. Reports also surfaced that Bengalis had been unable to vote in the election. In a separate incident, seven CPI-M activists were injured when IPFT workers attacked them on the counting hall premises.(The Statesman [India] 5/3/00 & 5/6/00 and The Hindu 5/6/00) |
| May 20, 2000 | At least 15 people were killed in bloody clashes between Bangladeshi Muslim settlers and tribals in Tripura. Two women and a child were among those killed in separate clashes; and three of the victims were hacked to death the following day by armed tribals in Teliamura district. Five persons died on the spot and at least 11 others were injured in a powerful bomb blast in Manikerbasti in West Tripura. The police imposed a curfew and ordered security personnel to shoot rioters at site in areas where the clashes were followed by arson and bomb attacks.(Agence France Presse 5/20/00 and British Broadcasting Corporation 5/22/00) |
| May 21, 2000 | Sixteen non-tribal inmates of a relief camp were among 34 killed in rebel attacks and ethnic violence in Tripura. (The Statesman [India] 5/21/00) |
| May 23, 2000 | Both the ruling and opposition parties in Tripura called a state-wide bundh strike in support of their demands and to protest against the ethnic violence. While the Left Front has called the bundh to stop and solve the problems immediately, other political parties condemned the ruling Left Front government for its failure in combating terrorism. (British Broadcasting Corporation 5/23/00) |
| Jun 10, 2000 | The CPI-M party complained that the Centre had held secret meetings in the Tripura capital with high-ranking members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). (The Statesman [India] 6/10/00) |
| Jun 11, 2000 | The TNV decided to merge with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura, according to a pamphlet by the IPFT and the Tripura Tribal Students Federation, a former wing of TUJS which later shifted its allegiance to the IPFT. There were also claims that NLFT was pressuring the Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti, the state's main hill party, to join the IPFT, though older party members preferred to ally with a major Indian party to gain status. (The Statesman 6/11/00). ATTF ultras picked up two tribal youths from their houses at Melka Bari in West Tripura and killed them. In a separate incident, villagers detained two tribal youths at Sipahi Para when they were extorting money. While one of them managed to escape from the spot, the other was handed over to police. In another incident, a group of insurgents looted valuables from several non-tribal traders at Atuungiabari in west Tripura. (British Broadcasting Corporation 6/12/00) |
| Jun 13, 2000 | A mob of over 200 tribal men and women attacked a contingent of the Tripura State Rifles at Shambuk Chhara in West Tripura. TSR men fired 17 rounds after the mob tried to snatch arms from them, and killed a tribal villager. A group of insurgents hacked a villager to death at Baluchhara in West Tripura. A group of non-tribal hoodlums attacked four tribal members of TSR near Teliamura yesterday, killing one and seriously injuring the others. In another incident, insurgents attacked several houses of non-tribal villagers at Radhagovindapur in North Tripura. In retaliation, some non-tribal villagers set fire to many houses of tribals in nearby villages. About 2000 villagers fled the area in panic. The violence forced local authorities to declare a curfew the following day. (The Statesman 6/14/00) |
| Jun 15, 2000 | Two motor workers were shot dead by NLFT insurgents and a tribal CPI-M activist was hacked to death by unidentified militants in West Tripura. In a separate incident, armed insurgents kidnapped six passengers of a private bus in Manu area of North Tripura. Several houses were burnt in the area. At least 10 were injured when police resorted to a lathi-charge to remove agitators who blocked a road in Manu area in protest against kidnapping of bus passengers and firing by the insurgents. (The Statesman [India] 6/16/00) |
| Jun 17, 2000 | Eleven suspected activists of the United Bengal Liberation Front were arrested by police in connection with a bomb throwing at Kumarghat in North Tripura the night before in which three tribal villagers were killed. In a separate incident at Jirania area of West Tripura, a tribal youth of 24 was hacked to death by unidentified militants. A group of rebels tried to kidnap a staff member of the government school at Takarjala in West Tripura, but shot at him instead after he raised an alarm. (The Statesman [India] 6/18/00) |
| Jun 18, 2000 | A newspaper reported that Bangladeshi troops shot dead at least 11 National Liberation Front of Tripura rebels in a jungle hideout in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government later denied the reports. (Agence France Presse 6/18/00 & 6/19/00) |
| Jun 27, 2000 | About 400 armed tribal villagers, backed by insurgents, mounted an attack on a convoy of trucks carrying essentials on the highway at North Tripura's Mungiabari. The villagers were armed with lethal weapons, but did not hit anyone. At least 20 of the 30 vehicles were damaged, and about 42 motor workers, drivers and some of the passengers traveling in the convoy were seriously injured in the attack. The villagers looted rice bags from a lorry which was carrying supplies of the Food Corporation of India. It was alleged that the CRPF men did nothing to prevent the armed tribals from attacking. the vehicular traffic. The Tripura Left Front Committee noted its deep concern over the attack on the highway traffic. (The Statesman [India] 6/28/00) |
| Jul 2, 2000 | The manager of four tea gardens at north Tripura's Kailasahar sub-division was beaten up and kidnapped from his home by suspected NLFT insurgents. The assistant manager of one of the gardens and another senior member of the management were abducted by NLFT insurgents on 13 May. The ultras later demanded a huge ransom, which the garden wanted to be reduced. (The Statesman [India] 7/3/00) |
| Jul 3, 2000 | Sixteen houses of tribal villagers were torched by non-tribals following the kidnapping of a Bengali by insurgents from Prototype Colony in North Tripura. Thirteen villagers were taken into custody by police for interrogation. In another incident, the police resorted to a lathi-charge at Puskarpara in the Bisramgonj area of West Tripura to disperse about 2,000 tribal women and other villagers who were launching a road blockade along the southern highway to press their demand for the immediate release of two tribals, who were earlier arrested for "being in collusion with the NLFT undergrounds." At least eight villagers were injured in the police lathi-charge there. Several hundred activists of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura gheraoed the police station at Killa in South Tripura to press for the immediate release of two NLFT members. NLFT men earlier told police that they had abducted and killed a trader in the Killa area, recently. (The Statesman [India] 7/3/00) |
| Jul 14, 2000 | An indefinite curfew was imposed in Tripura after heavily armed militants of the United Bengali Liberation Tiger Front (UBLTF) attacked two tribal villages in West Tripura 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital Agartala, around midnight setting more than 300 tribal huts on fire. (Agence France Presse 7/14/00) |
