Agartala, July 5: A CPM tribal activist was gunned down by militants and two CRPF jawans sustained serious injuries in a landmine blast in Tripura in the past 24 hours.
Police said militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) came to Ratanpur village under Takarjala police station at 8 pm last night looking for local CPM activist Birkumar Debbarma (35). They called aside Debbarma, who was talking to his friends in front of a shop, and shot him dead from point blank range.
Takarjala police have launched combing operations but no arrests have been made so far.
CPM sources alleged that Debbarma’s killing was a “pre-planned political murder” by the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT). They added that having won the Takarjala seat through organised rigging, the INPT was trying to eliminate CPM workers and supporters in the area in cahoots with NLFT rebels.
This morning, two CRPF jawans were injured and the jeep in which they were travelling was damaged in a landmine blast near Balukata in West district.
Police sources said a group of CRPF jawans, based at Dushki camp under Kalyanpur police station, were travelling from Barmaidan to Balukata. As soon as they neared Balukata at 6.30 am, a landmine went off. Driver Sambir Sing (23) and CRPF havildar Aqueel Khan (32) sustained serious injuries. They were admitted to G.B. Hospital here by colleagues who were following them in a truck.
A large contingent of police and CRPF, led by superintendent of police (West) T.B. Roy, visited the spot. Combing operations have been launched but no one has been arrested so far.
There has been a sharp rise in militancy-related violence in Tripura over the past three years.
Shortly after being sworn in as chief minister of the state for the second time on March 7, chief minister Manik Sarkar had renewed his appeal to the banned militant outfits to begin peace negotiations.
He had also made it clear that his government would extend all possible help if the outfits were keen to hold discussions with the Centre. But there was no response.
In 2001, 115 people had been killed and 134 abducted. This year, there was a further rise in militant depredations. According to statistics, 85 persons were killed till April 30 and 107 were kidnapped. By the end of the year the toll will be over 200.
The last Assembly elections saw the reinstallation of the Left Front government in Tripura. Yesterday, the chief minister had alleged that militants were operating from bases in Mizoram.
