CORRESPONDENT
AGARTALA: A rail and road blockade movement launched on Friday morning by former insurgents who came overground following various peace agreements was withdrawn around midday after Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha assured them that he would hold talks with them personally after returning from Delhi. Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma met the agitators at Sadhupara in the Baramura area and conveyed the Chief Minister's message to them. Senior police officials were also present during the meeting. The withdrawal brought relief to thousands of commuters who had been stranded in different places.
More than one thousand former insurgents belonging to the now-disbanded National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) had been agitating for the past several years, demanding rehabilitation in accordance with the agreements. They alleged that the government had failed to fulfil its commitments.
The former insurgents had launched similar agitations earlier and withdrew them following assurances from the government. This time, the government attempted to pacify them, and the Tribal Welfare Minister held several rounds of talks with them during the last few days. However, the agitating members refused to accept his assurances.
Official sources said that the government had already fulfilled most of the assurances given under the peace agreements, while some could not be implemented because of discrepancies in records and other issues.
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