Agartala: The recent seven-hour blockade of the national highway by former insurgents at the foothills of Baramura has drawn sharp criticism, particularly for causing severe disruptions during the ongoing board examinations. Tripura state committee of Amra Bangali Party has strongly condemned the protest, blaming the state government for allowing such disruptions that created immense hardships for students, teachers, and commuters. The organization has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of following the appeasement policies of the Left Front and Congress, which, they claim, have emboldened extremist elements in the state.
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On February 25, the surrendered insurgents under the banner of the Tripura United Indigenous Returnees Peoples’ Council (TUIRPC) staged the highway blockade, pressing for a 21-point charter of demands. The prolonged roadblock severely affected movement, leaving students and other commuters stranded. Following assurances from administrative officials, the agitators withdrew their blockade but warned of a larger movement if their demands remained unmet.
Critics have drawn comparisons with past incidents, recalling the 11-day-long blockade by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) in 2017, which had brought the state to a standstill. Amra Bangali highlighted the historical atrocities against Bengalis in the state, citing the June 1980 massacre, abductions, killings, rapes, and forced evictions carried out by insurgent groups such as TNV, ATTF, and NLFT. The organization demanded a judicial inquiry commission to identify and punish those responsible for the past massacres and also called for proper compensation and rehabilitation of the victims.
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Addressing a press conference at the organization’s state office on Wednesday, Amra Bangali state secretary Gouranga Rudrapal accused the government of providing undue leniency to extremists for political gains. He claimed that former insurgents, emboldened by the government’s inaction, frequently resort to blockades, disregarding democratic means of protest. He further alleged that past governments, including the Left Front and Congress, had rewarded extremists with government jobs and financial aid instead of punishing them, a policy that, according to him, is now being continued by the ruling BJP.
He also criticized the government’s failure to take decisive action against those who disrupt public life. “Few days later, they will come up with new demands and block Tripura’s lifeline again. There are multiple democratic ways to raise demands, but they have chosen to harass the common people,” Rudrapal said.
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Amra Bangali further demanded the proper utilization of Tripura’s natural and human resources through block-level development plans to ensure employment opportunities. The organization also called for the protection of Bengalis’ constitutional rights in Tripura, urging the government to put an end to what they described as a campaign of misinformation against Bengalis in the state.