Rebels snatch tribals' phones in Tripura

AGARTALA, January 21: National Liberation Front of Twipra militants have started snatching telephones installed in tribal households in the interior areas so that their movements cannot be reported to police. The tribals are also keeping silent for fear of reprisals. Officers of the telecom department came to know of the incidents from some tribals and made inquiries. Sources in the telecom department said in the first week of December, a group of armed NLFT rebels raided tribal houses having telephone connections in the Madhavpur area under Jirania police station and looted 18 telephone sets. They also threatened the tribal families with dire consequences if they reported the incident to the police. Scared of violent reprisals, the families kept quiet though officials of the telecom department brought the matter to the notice of the state government, but without any result. Sources in the telecom department said such incidents have been reported from other areas as well. Sadar (North) and Sidhai police station areas are simmering with tension following reports that militants of both the All-Tripura Tiger Force and NLFT are moving about in the area over the past week to extort money and expand their area of hegemony. Recently, Tiger Force militants killed three tribal youth owing allegiance to the NLFT in the Daigyabari area. A large group of armed NLFT insurgents has entered interior areas under Sidhai police station in pursuit of Tiger Force militants and a major clash between the two rival groups may occur soon. Police sources admitted that there was movement of rival groups in the Sadar (North) and Sidhai police station areas but added that security was being beefed up to prevent any major conflict. Fishermen abducted: Within a day of Tripura director-general of police B.L. Vohra claiming that all militants had been flushed out of the Gandacherra sub-division, National Liberation Front of Twipra militants abducted five Bengali fishermen from the Khetricherra area on the edge of the Dumbur lake in South Tripura. Police sources said the five fishermen were abducted on their way back from the lake. Fishing activity in the lake has almost come to a halt because of the NLFT's threats to abduct fishermen. In October last, the director-general of police had arranged for patrolling on motor boats on the lake following which fishing was gradually resumed. Sources in the government said the latest abduction would hit the fishing community as well as revenue collection. In a separate incident, Pintu Barua of the west Chhawmanu in Dhalai district was kidnapped by the NLFT yesterday. Sources said the abducted tribal youth had refused to pay "tax" to the outfit. In yet another incident, the police along with jawans of the Tripura State Rifles were ambushed by a group of NLFT rebels in the jungles of Rangacherra area of South Tripura. Incriminating articles including "tax" notices, the five sets of the outfit's uniforms and ammunition though no casualty has been reported. An NLFT rebel Krishna Debbarma was arrested and killed by the CRPF combing the Karamcherra area in Dhalai district yesterday. He was shot when he tried to flee from custody, sources said.