Former Militants Withdraw Indefinite Rail-Road Blockade in Tripura After Govt Assurance

Two organisations of surrendered militants in Tripura withdrew their call for an indefinite rail and road blockade on Wednesday after being assured by the government that their demands, including that for proper rehabilitation, would be looked into, police said.

"Traffic movement on the national highway and railway service is normal since the morning after the withdrawal of the blockade. No untoward incident is reported so far," police spokesperson Rajdeep Deb said.

The Joint Action Rehabilitation Committee (JARC) and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) had announced the agitation after alleging that a large number of surrendered militants were yet to receive rehabilitation benefits despite laying down arms decades ago.

They have been pressing for a nine-point charter of demands, including proper rehabilitation and withdrawal of pending cases against them.

JARC working president Pasaram Reang said, "We had a detailed discussion with the senior government officials last night over our demands, and those were duly acknowledged. Therefore, both organisations have decided to withdraw the rail and road blockade." Earlier this month, former militants belonging to the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) had withdrawn a similar rail and highway blockade call after receiving assurances from the chief minister.