Over 400 NLFT-ATTF militants to surrender in Tripura on Tuesday

Agartala: Three weeks after an agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government, over 400 extremists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) will lay down their arms and ammunition at a ceremony in the state on Tuesday, officials said.

Tripura Home Department officials claimed that this is going to be one of the biggest surrenders in the recent past in the northeastern region.

The NLFT and the ATTF outfits signed the peace agreement with the Centre and Tripura government in Delhi on September 4 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, other political leaders and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Tripura government.

According to the official, over 400 cadres of NLFT and ATTF would lay down their arms and ammunition before the Chief Minister at a surrender ceremony on Tuesday afternoon at the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) seventh battalion headquarters at Jampuijala in the Sepahijala district.

The official said that with this surrender of militants, the nearly five decades-old insurgency in the northeastern state is expected to be over.

He said that under the September 4 agreement, signed with the two outlawed militant outfits, a special package of Rs 250 crore has been approved by the MHA.

As per the agreement, the leaders of the NLFT and ATTF have agreed to shun the path of violence, surrender all their weapons and ammunition, and dissolve their armed organisations, the official said. The surrendered militants would stay in a designated camp for three years and during this period they would be provided skill training in various trades. Apart from this Rs 4 lakh would be deposited in the bank account of each surrendered militant, and the amount can be withdrawn only after three years by the beneficiaries.

According to the agreement, each surrendered NLFT and ATTF cadre would get Rs 6,000 per month for three years and these cadres would be given priority in various employment generation works in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and rural development, the official said referring to the provisions of the agreement.