DA Editorial Desk| dhruba deka
The arrest on 17 October of six surrendered militants from the NLFT and the ATTF, after they allegedly blocked a national highway in West Tripura demanding proper rehabilitation, is a symptom of something larger than a traffic disruption. In a separate blockade at Baramura, reports say it ended with former insurgents detained and two policemen injured. Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury has accused the BJP of failing the surrendered cadres and held the Chief Minister, Manik Saha, responsible for the protest. The government has not, in the reports we reviewed, set out a detailed response.
Both sides deserve a fair hearing. Blocking a national highway harms ordinary people, including patients, farmers and travellers during the festival season, and the law cannot be ignored. Police were right to restore movement, and those who injured officers must answer for it. But arrests do not settle a grievance. These men gave up arms in return for assurances, and the credibility of every future peace process depends on whether those assurances are honoured.
Tripura knows better than most states what an unfinished peace costs. Insurgency left deep scars in its hills and villages. The groups later signed agreements with the Centre and the state, and surrender was presented as the end of the violence. If those who came in from the jungle find themselves unemployed, without land, training or dignity, the lesson for anyone still holding a weapon is plain and damaging: promises are cheap.
We urge the state government to act on three fronts. First, publish the list of benefits promised under each agreement, and a status report on what has been delivered, district by district. Second, set up a standing grievance forum, chaired by a senior official, where former cadres can raise problems before they reach the highway. Third, link rehabilitation to livelihoods: skill training with guaranteed placement, support for small enterprises, and priority in public works.
Former cadres, for their part, must use dialogue rather than blockades. Their leaders should engage constructively with the forum and accept that justice moves best when the public is not hurt in the process. Political parties across the spectrum should stop using the issue for point-scoring, and should offer practical ideas instead. A peace dividend that is delayed becomes a political football, and sooner or later someone gets hurt. Civil society has a role too. Community groups, student organisations and the media can monitor whether commitments are met and publish their findings without partisanship. Local panchayats and councils can identify who among the former cadres lacks land, a job or a ration card, and flag cases early. The festival season, with crowds, travel and heavy security deployments, is a poor moment for confrontation, and a calm, early settlement would serve everyone, including the police who must manage the roads and the families who travel them. A state that wants to be known for peace, tourism and growth should show that it keeps its word to the people who laid down arms. Tripura cannot afford to learn that lesson again.