BSF working with security agencies to curb extremist activities’ revival in Tripura

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday said it had been coordinating with security agencies to prevent the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) from renewing its divisive activities.

“Intelligence reports suggest that the NLFT is trying to refresh activities in some places. We are taking action in our jurisdiction to prevent such activities”, Susanta Kumar Nath, Inspector General of BSF’s Tripura Frontier, said at the ‘annual press briefing’.

The NLFT has been lying low for years owing to the surrender of a large number of self-styled leaders and cadres, and dismantling of most of its hideouts in Bangladesh. Only the Biswa Mohan Debbarma-led faction, known as NLFT-BM, has not laid down arms.

When asked why the NLFT-BM was now trying to revive its operations, Mr. Nath said “I cannot share details in this fora’. The border force has been on alert and taking action whenever information was received.

Malaria problem

On a different note, Mr. Nath said BSF personnel were now hardly contracting malaria due to various preventive measures. Half of the State was prone to Malaria and troops used to suffer a lot in the past.

Mr. Nath claimed that infiltration of Bangladeshis had been contained to a large extent as troops were on extreme alert. Only 45 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at different border locations last year. He confirmed that a very small number of Rohingya refugees had sneaked into Tripura for onward transit, but they were caught.