Security tightened along India-B'desh border in Tripura amid reports of armed group movement    

Security has been tightened along certain portions of the international borders in Tripura following reports of the movement of cadres belonging to two Bangladesh-based armed groups -- the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), officials said on Saturday.

District Magistrate of Gomati district in southern Tripura, Rinku Lather, issued a notification stating that reliable inputs had been received from the Border Security Force (BSF) regarding apprehensions of movement of PCJSS and UPDF militants, along with the possibility of stealthy infiltration by Bangladesh nationals, Rohingyas and members of militant organisations from across the international border with the intention to commit crimes, indulge in smuggling and disturb public order.

In view of the BSF reports, the District Magistrate promulgated a night curfew under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to ensure peace and tranquillity by preventing the designs of anti-national elements and activities of organisations inimical to the safety and security of the general public.

"The night curfew will be effective from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. till February 28 in certain border areas under the Karbook Sub-Division of Gomati district," the notification said.

No person shall carry lathis, firearms or any weapons, except police personnel, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and BSF personnel on duty, the notification added. Police and security personnel as well as officials on government duty have been excluded from the restrictions.

"People residing within 300 metres of the international border shall also be excluded from the restrictions," the District Magistrate’s notification said.

Tripura shares an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh and is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making it highly vulnerable to smuggling and other cross-border crimes and movements of inimical elements.

Tripura's Gomati and Dhalai districts share borders with the trouble-torn Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeast Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Tripura Police in June last year detained 13 members of the Bangladesh-based organisation PCJSS, including two women.

Sources said that the 13 members were injured in armed clashes with a rival group at Panchari in the CHT of Bangladesh and crossed over to India for medical treatment.

According to reports, the group illegally crossed the India-Bangladesh international border through Raishyabari in Dhalai district following a violent encounter on the other side of the border.

Most of them had bandages on their legs and hands. The armed struggle of the ‘Shanti Bahini’ in the CHT ended with the signing of a bipartite agreement between the PCJSS and the Bangladesh government on December 2, 1997.

The 'Shanti Bahini' had been demanding a sovereign CHT for the indigenous tribal communities, including Chakmas, Mogs and others living in the hilly region.

According to reports, there have been attacks on indigenous people in the CHT by the Bangladesh Army and illegal settlers following the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Buddhist Chakmas mainly live in the CHT of southeast Bangladesh, the Chin and Arakan provinces of Myanmar, and several states of India's northeastern region.

Various tribal organisations in the CHT have claimed that the Bangladesh government did not implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.

Indian Chakma leaders have also demanded the implementation of the CHT Peace Accord to ensure the protection of tribals in the hill region.