THE recent surrender of 26 militants belonging to two factions of the National Liberation Front of Tripper (NLFT) is a major success for the Tripura Government and security forces in the State as    these two outfits have created  havoc and the State has recorded highest killings in the region in the recent past.

The Nayanbasi faction of the NLFT had earlier sent a letter to the State Government expressing their willingness to surrender. It is among the six rebel outfits from the North-East, which might enter into negotiations with the Centre prior to the Lok Sabha polls. The faction has cadre strength of 250.

The outlawed militants handed over 11 sophisticated weapons, one improvised gun, three grenades and a large cache of ammunition to the Additional Director General of Police Pranay Sahay at a simple function in Agartala. Of the 26 militants, 14 belonged to the NLFT (Nayanbasi) faction and nine to the NLFT (Biswamohan Debbarma) group while remaining three belonged to the ATTF. Mr. Sahaya said due to the sustained operation by the security forces in the state and frustration of the jungle life, some of the militants of different groups have contacted the police department in the recent past through their relatives and well wishers with a desire to lay down their arms and lead a normal life. The police carried out detail verification and after that these rebels are formally surrendering before the authority, he added. Mr. Sahay further said during the past three months after the new action plan was launched to curb militancy, the security forces achieved considerable success in the counter-insurgency operations in the State. At least 25 hardcore guerillas were neutralised in the State during the  period, he claimed. About the reported ceasefire announced by a faction of the militant outfit and about the surrender of the NLFT faction led by Nayanbasi Jamatia, Mr. Sahaya said he had no knowledge about these issues. “We are hopeful that some more militants will soon join the mainstream,’’ he added. The Additional DGP said the Government was trying to increase the financial assistance and scope under the package for the Meanwhile, National Democratic Front of Bodoland’s (NDFB) Central Finance Secretary, a Pakistan trained Harkat-ul-Mujahideen ultra along with a top leader of United Liberation Front   of Asom (ULFA) have recently surrendered in Assam. The militants surrendered in the special branch headquarters at Kahiliapara.

Police said the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen ultra was Moin-ul Haq Chouhdury, who acquired a Bangladeshi passport under the name of Abdur Rahman. “He was trained at Dhaka and then in Rawalpindi and Karachi in Pakistan. He was then sent back to Dhaka and then to Assam,” the police added.

Nileshwar Basumatary, the central finance secretary of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had been hiding at Dimapur for a long time. His surrender is one of the biggest blows to the beleaguered outfit. Nileshwar said most of the NDFB cadres wanted a negotiated settlement to the entire problem. Khanidnra Basumataray, the second in command of the 3rd battalion of ULFA based at Garo Hills of Meghalaya and a “self-styled corporal” Kamal Boro also surrendered taking the total number of surrendered persons to 218 since the general amnesty was declared after the “Operation All Clear”. Since December 16 last year altogether 335 NDFB militants have surrendered taking the overall figure of surrendered militants to 6,912.From the figures, it appears that after the formation of BTC, most misguided Bodo youths are now in favour of giving up arms.

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