88 rebels of NLFT faction lay down arms in Dhalai district

AGARTALA: A faction of the secessionist National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), led by Sabir Debbarma, laid down arms at Ambassa in Dhalai district on Tuesday, three days after it signed a peace pact with the Centre and the state government.
“I urge you all to join the mainstream and participate in the development process initiated by Modi ji,” chief minister Biplab Deb said, adding, “Since 2014, India has been witnessing new thinking, new initiative.The 42-year-old problem in Nagaland is nearing solution. The Jammu and Kashmir problem is now history, with the state looking at a new era of development after Article 370 was scrapped.”
The 88 cadre who surrendered on Tuesday deposited six self-loading rifles, four Chinese rifles, nineteen .303 rifles, twenty 4M pistols, 11 wireless sets and a large cache of ammunition. They will get benefits under the Surrendercum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018. Kajal Debbarma, one of the signatories to the memorandum of settlement with the outfit, said, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power, he appealed to all militant outfits to return to normalcy. We thought about the development of the state. We were assured that projects for the betterment of indigenous people will be implemented.”
The NLFT was formed in 1989 to fight for a separate Twipra for the state’s tribals. Its founder-chairperson Dhananjoy Reang was expelled in 1993, formed another outfit (the Tripura Resurrection Army) and surrendered in 1997. That was also the year NLFT was banned. Meanwhile, the outfit was led by Nayanbasi Jamatia, followed by Biswamohan Debbarma. In 2000, the outfit split between the Halam and Debbarma members of the outfit. The outfit was divided again a year later, between supporters of Nayanbasi and those of Biswamohan. The Nayanbasi faction surrendered in 2004 and, as of now, only the Biswamohan faction of NLFT remains active.