The Indian government on Saturday inked a peace pact with an insurgent group of Tripura under which the latter agreed to lay down arms and join the mainstream, the Home Ministry said. According to a Home Ministry statement, the tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed here by the governments of India and Tripura and National Liberation Front of Twipra led by Sabir Kumar Debbarma (NLFT-SD).
The NLFT-SD has agreed to abjure violence, join the mainstream and abide by the Constitution of India, it said adding the group has agreed to the surrender of its 88 cadres with their weapons. The surrendered cadres will be given benefits under the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the Home Ministry
The Tripura government will help the surrendered militants in housing, recruitment and education and the Indian government will consider the proposals of Tripura government on economic development of tribal areas of Tripura, according to the statement.
NLFT was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 1997 for its involvement in violence and operating from their camps across the international border, the Home Ministry said. NLFT has been responsible for violent activities including 317 insurgency incidents in which 28 security forces and 62 civilians lost their lives during a decade from 2005 to 2015.
The Indian government’s peace talks with NLFT began in 2015 and there has been no violence by NLFT since 2016. The Memorandum of Settlement was signed by Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary (North East) of Indian Home Ministry, Kumar Alok, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Tripura and Sabir Kumar Debbarma and Kajal Debbarma of NLFT (SD). Later, the NLFT representatives met Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.