Daijiworld Media Network - Agartala
Agartala, Jan 3: Security arrangements have been stepped up in sensitive stretches along Tripura’s international border following intelligence inputs suggesting possible movement of cadres linked to two Bangladesh-based armed outfits—the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), officials said on Saturday.
Acting on inputs received from the Border Security Force (BSF), Gomati district Magistrate Rinku Lather issued an official order warning of potential cross-border infiltration. The alert mentioned the likelihood of militants, Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas attempting to enter Indian territory stealthily with the intention of engaging in criminal activities, smuggling and actions that could disrupt public order.
To pre-empt any untoward incidents, the district administration has imposed a night curfew under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The curfew, effective from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., will remain in force until February 28 in select border areas under the Karbook sub-division of Gomati district.
The order prohibits the carrying of lathis, firearms or any other weapons during curfew hours, except by personnel of the police, CRPF and BSF who are on official duty. Government officials and security forces have been exempted from the restrictions, as have residents living within 300 metres of the international border.
Tripura shares an 856-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh and is surrounded by the neighbouring country on three sides, a geographical reality that makes the state particularly vulnerable to smuggling, illegal crossings and the movement of hostile elements. Gomati and Dhalai districts, in particular, border the unrest-prone Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeastern Bangladesh.
Officials recalled that in June last year, Tripura Police detained 13 members of the PCJSS, including two women, after they crossed into Indian territory. According to sources, the group had sustained injuries during armed clashes with a rival faction in Bangladesh’s Panchari area of the CHT and reportedly entered India through the Raishyabari sector of Dhalai district seeking medical assistance. Many of them were found with visible injuries and bandages.
The PCJSS was once the political wing of the ‘Shanti Bahini’, whose armed movement in the CHT formally ended with the signing of a peace accord with the Bangladesh government on December 2, 1997. The group had earlier demanded autonomy for indigenous tribal communities such as Chakmas and Mogs inhabiting the hilly region.
Recent reports suggest renewed tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts following political upheaval in Bangladesh, with allegations of attacks on indigenous communities by security forces and illegal settlers. Tribal organisations have repeatedly accused the Bangladeshi authorities of failing to fully implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.
Leaders of the Chakma community in India have also called for effective implementation of the agreement, stressing that it is crucial for ensuring the safety and rights of tribal populations in the hill regions across the border.