In Retrospect

The serial blasts in Agartala on October 1 aroused the apprehension that they were linked with the chain of blasts in different parts of India incited by Muslim fundamentalists and the ISI of Pakistan. Communal violence in Asom later strengthened the suspicion. But CID investigations have dispelled the misgivings. The Tripura police have found that the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) with the help of the ULFA caused the explosion. No information could be dug up about the involvement of any Islamic outfit in the incident. Arrested militants have disclosed that some ULFA militants had sneaked into Tripura to help the ATTF plot and execute the blasts. Tripura police have identified the three masterminds behind the tragedy. Fourteen other militants have also been captured. The explosives were brought to Tripura from a place in Bangladesh on the border of the state. The ATTF had triggered the blasts to create a rift between tribals and non-tribals.

The Left Front government of Tripura under Manik Sarkar and the people of Tripura may heave a sigh of relief as the police have concluded that there is no evidence of the complicity of Muslim terrorist groups in the bomb blasts. Tripura has curbed the militancy of the ATTF and the creation of an autonomous district under the Sixth Schedule has brought about comparative peace in the state. The overwhelming victory of the CPIM led by Manik Sarkar put a seal of approval on the peace process. The ATTF violence is sporadic. It still receives training and arms on Bangladesh soil close to the state. But that does not add a new factor to the scene as Islamic terror may have done. The ATTF is a tribal body and the ULFA seeks sovereignty for Asom. They have no common agenda. But the ULFA is prone to help all terrorist groups in the North-East to destabilise the Indian Union. However, the economic progress in Tripura under the present regime is likely to marginalise tribal militancy in the state. source: the shillong times