Agartala/Ukhrul, Jul 17: Tripura’s royal scion and TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has gone public with land documents dated 1984 to allege that a Bangladeshi national was granted land in a tribal area of the state. The claim, backed by what he describes as “proof,” has triggered sharp questions about land governance, indigenous rights, and possible administrative complicity.
In his initial post on X (formerly Twitter), Pradyot wrote, “I have just got documents today to prove a Bangladeshi national has purchased land in the tribal areas of Tripura and the property was mutated in his name.”
The next day, he released the documents publicly on social media. According to the records, the land in question, measuring 0.22 acres, is located in the Udaipur Sub-Division. The individual’s address in the document is listed as Bangladesh.
However, while Pradyot did not directly highlight the legal timeline, the date of the document raises critical concerns. The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) was established on January 15, 1982, through a state act. However, it was only brought under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution on August 23, 1984, with effect from April 1, 1985. Therefore, the land allotment appears to have taken place before the constitutional protections officially applied to the area.
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Meanwhile, Pradyot questioned how such an allotment could have been allowed in a tribal area. “How was land allotted to a foreign national whose address is clearly shown as Bangladesh?” he asked. “How can a non-Scheduled Tribe (ST) individual be allotted or allowed to buy land in a Sixth Schedule area under the jurisdiction of the TTAADC?”
In his statement, he identified the individual as Akul Latif, who now claims Indian identity and is believed to be residing somewhere in India. “He could be in Tripura, elsewhere in the Northeast, or beyond,” Pradyot said, adding that the person may now possess Indian documents based on the land papers.
Moreover, he alleged that such a mutation could not have occurred without the involvement of government officials. “Will the ECI do something because the then DCM, Revenue Officer and Tehsildar have clearly implicated themselves? Also, this could not have taken place without political knowledge,” he wrote.
Interestingly, when a Facebook user commented on the post, Pradyot clarified that the incident likely occurred under a previous regime. “This is likely from earlier govt,” he replied, distancing the incident from the current government.
In his earlier announcement, he had also pointed out the political risks of speaking out. “I am aware that when I raise these issues I am attacked by few of my friends from Congress and also certain individuals who are today in BJP for personal gains,” he said, suggesting bipartisan discomfort with his revelations.
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Pradyot also expressed concern that such land documents could be used to falsely obtain identity credentials. “This Bangladeshi person and his family got documents and disappeared into thin air, and he and his family easily could have obtained passport, PAN, Aadhaar, voter ID by showing land papers anywhere in the country,” he wrote.
Finally, he thanked Purna Chandra Jamatia, Chief Executive Member of the TTAADC, for facilitating access to the land documents. Calling him “a Tiprasa warrior,” Pradyot praised his role in uncovering the matter.