Thaindian News

Agartala, Dec 7 (IANS) Hundreds of former tribal guerrillas will Thursday launch blockade of a national highway, demanding implementation of rehabilitation packages and withdrawal of pending cases, a former militant leader said here Wednesday.

“The indefinite road blockade will start at the Assam-Agartala national highway Thursday morning in support of four demands,” surrendered militants’ Joint Action Coordination Committee (JACC) general secretary Achai Khasrang Jamatia told reporters.

The demands are economic rehabilitation of 4,100 surrendered militants, providing houses under the Indira Awas Yojna (IAY), withdrawal of pending cases, and providing security to the leaders of the former tribal guerrillas.

“Despite several rounds of meetings with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, other ministers and top officials and their assurances, most of our demands have remained unfulfilled,” Jamatia said.

Accompanied by other leaders of the former rebels, he said: “We have come to the mainstream from the path of violence and terrorism to lead a normal life. We need sincere governmental support for the survival of our families.”

Reacting to the announcement, a tribal welfare department official told IANS that the state government has so far economically rehabilitated thousands of surrendered extremists and the process is on to rehabilitate the remaining.

According to official records, 8,200 guerrillas of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and other outfits have fled Bangladeshi camps and surrendered before Indian authorities since 1993.