TAG: GS-3: INTERNAL SECURITY
CONTEXT:
The Union Home Minister recently signed a peace agreement between the Center and Tripura. More than 300 armed cadres of two insurgent groups in Tripura have given up violence to join the mainstream. On September 4, 2024, they will “contribute not only to building a developed Tripura but also a developed India.”
EXPLANATION:
About the peace accord in insurgent groups in Tripura:
- Over 300 armed cadres from two insurgent groups, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), have renounced violence.
- The Centre approved a ₹250 crore package to support the socio-economic development of the tribal population in Tripura, addressing historical grievances.
- The NLFT, active since 1989, sought Tripura’s independence from India and the deportation of post-1956 settlers.
- It is the 12th peace agreement for the Northeast region and the 3rd for Tripura in the last decade. Such accords have brought around 10,000 insurgents into the mainstream, significantly reducing violence.
- Union Home Minister emphasized the infrastructural developments (road, rail, and flight connectivity) initiated by the Modi government in the Northeast and highlighted the emotional integration between the region and the rest of India, focusing on development and peace.
- The NLFT and ATTF agreed to participate in peaceful democratic processes, disband their armed organizations, and maintain India’s integrity.
- The peace pact aims to prevent further loss of life, reduce violence, and promote long-term development in Tripura.
- It is a significant step in fostering stability and growth in the region, with a focus on tribal welfare and political inclusion.
Background:
- The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was removed from Tripura in 2015. Union Home Minister highlighted this as part of a broader effort to reduce militarization and promote development across the Northeast, with a focus on preserving local cultures, languages, and identities.
- A tripartite Memorandum of Settlement was signed between the Government of India, Government of Tripura, and the NLFT/ATTF insurgent groups. The peace agreement aims to resolve the 35-year-old conflict in Tripura, bringing insurgents into peaceful democratic processes.
- The ATTF, formed in 1990, demanded the removal of names of illegal migrants from the electoral rolls and full implementation of the ‘Tripura Merger Agreement’ (1949).
- Both groups have been responsible for significant violence, with the NLFT killing over 600 people and the ATTF responsible for more than 300 deaths, alongside several kidnappings. Their camps have been operating from Bangladesh.
About the AFSPA:
- The British promulgated the Act in its original form in response to the Quit India movement in 1942.
- After Independence, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to retain the Act, which was first brought in as an ordnance and then notified as an Act in 1958.
- The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, enacted in the year 1958, grants extraordinary powers and immunity to the armed forces to bring back order in the “disturbed areas”.
- The Act came into force in the context of increasing violence in the Northeastern States decades ago, which the State governments found difficult to control.
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