Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said his government would never allow insurgency to resurface in the northeastern state.
His remark came in response to recent reports of armed militants’ movements across the border in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur, a region that experienced significant violence during the late 1990s.
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Addressing a public program, Saha declared, “Some people are saying that insurgency is set to stage a comeback in the state. We are closely monitoring the situation, and security forces have been directed to take all necessary measures. We will not allow insurgency to return.”
Tripura, once a hotbed of insurgency, witnessed decades of violence between the 1980s and early 2000s. The primary drivers were ethnic tensions between indigenous tribes and the Bengali speaking population, stemming from demographic changes post-Partition and the influx of refugees from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Militant groups such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) spearheaded armed insurgencies, demanding greater autonomy or secession.
The conflict led to widespread violence, displacement, and loss of lives, particularly in regions like Kanchanpur, which share a 48-km international border with Bangladesh’s Khagracherri and Bandarban districts.
A peace process, coupled with sustained counter-insurgency operations and the fencing of most of the border, gradually restored stability.
