Violence Continues in India's Northeast

[Guest guest]

Namaste. Much of our attention is focused on what goes on in Kashmir, but

the violence over conversions and culture also continues in India's Northeast.

Here are a few of the lastest news articles.

Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa)

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Two killed, three abducted by NLFT in Tripura

Press Trust of India

Agartala, May 1

Two persons were killed and three others kidnapped by NLFT insurgents in

separate incidents in West Tripura district, police on Thursday said.

Two collaborators of the banned outfit were kidnapped at gun point by the armed

ultras from Jangalia village in the district last night and one of them was

later shot dead.

The other collaborator was taken away, the police said, adding the two men were

kidnapped as they had expressed their wish to surrender.

A search operation has been launched in the area, the police said.

In a separate incident, another group of insurgents of the same outfit raided

Tuikhamar village in the district during the day and hacked a person to death,

the police said.

Three other persons engaged in laying railway lines were kidnapped from Jirania

in the district on Wednesday at gun point, the police said, adding efforts were

on to trace them.

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Insurgents kill 19 people in Tripura

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 (Agartala):

Suspected insurgents of the banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) raided Sidhai

village of west Tripura district late last night and opened indiscriminate

fire. As many as 19 people died on the spot and six others were injured in the

attack.

The ATTF is said to be a militant group that crossed over from Bangladesh into Tripura.

The group is reportedly behind the killings of 17 people in this very village two years ago.

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Tripura militants massacre 31 people

Thursday, May 8, 2003 (Agartala):

Thirty-one people including eight children and six women have been killed in

Tripura since late Tuesday night in a sudden burst of violence by militant

groups. Most of the victims are non-tribals.

Insurgents from the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) raided a

market in the West Tripura district and opened indiscriminate fire in which ten

people were killed.

Four people including a woman were injured. Police are now conducting search

operations in the area.

Earlier, members of the All Tripura Tiger Force raided Satchhari, a border

village in West Tripura district and set fire to ten houses before opening fire

killing 17 non-tribals.

In another incident, suspected NLFT militants shot dead a couple at Radhanagar

village in North Tripura district.

Bandh affects normal life

Normal life in Tripura was affected today due to the dawn-to-dusk bandh called

by ruling Left Front and opposition Congress-Indigenous Nationalist Party of

Tripura, official sources said.

Shops and other business establishments remained closed and flow of vehicles on

roads was also thin in the early hours of the day, they said.

No untoward incident was reported from any part of the state during the bandh,

called in protest of yesterday's militant attacks in different parts of the

state killing 31 non-tribals.