Tripura CM Saha rules out human right violations against families living beyond barbed-wire fencing

The CM also said that most individuals from these families have dual citizenship of India and Bangladesh and commented that the place was notorious for human trafficking and drug smuggling. However, he clarified that there is no undue pressure on these families to come within the barbed-wire fence and said electricity connections of a few families were disconnected since they hadn’t paid bills for long and that a few others were found using hooklines.

Former minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman moved a question during Zero Hour in the Assembly on Tuesday about power disconnections. The Congress legislator said that while the Opposition didn’t have any objections to any effort of bringing these families within the barbed-wire fence, they should be provided proper alternative land for residential, burial purposes within the barbed wire fence, power, safe drinking water and other services.

“If it is any decision of the Union Home Minister, we have no objection. But we suddenly saw many families who have lived beyond the barbed-wire fence beyond 98 no. border pillar at Matinagar of West Tripura district for a long time had their power connections disconnected a few days back…. They had to be brought within the fencing. It is unfortunate that every household in the area is provided soaps, sugar with a limited quota from local shops, suggesting they would be smuggling these items to Bangladesh otherwise. They are treated like slaves and dogs. Dogs get better treatment. It is an unimaginable, complete violation of human rights. They are all Indian citizens. They have been living before many of us for 150-200 years…,” Roy Barman said.

He also demanded that alternative accommodation and services should be first ensured before shifting these families and that if the power disconnection was not part of any Home Ministry directive, officials involved in the move should be identified and brought to book.

While the barbed-wire fence is usually located 150 yards away from the zero point without any no-man’s land, unlike in other parts of India having international borders, roughly 75 families at Matinagar live in houses which are located 500-600 yards from the zero point. Both India and Bangladesh had agreed that an exception would be made in the area.

Manik Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, said as per a report available with him, 75 families live outside the barbed-wire fencing in the Matinagar area. Thirty-one of these families were provided PMAYG houses in 2018 inside the fencing area but they declined to shift.

“They have got houses. They never came to live there. Out of these 31 houses, 25 were constructed on Indian soil inside the fencing. However, these families continued to live outside the fencing. These 31 families applied for power connections but 44 households in the area are using hook lines for electricity. Among those who applied for electric connections, 17 pay electric bills regularly and the rest don’t pay any bills. That means 60 per cent of these people are using hook lines, 20 per cent pay bills, and the rest don’t pay bills. I have enquired about the issue and the DM said they are illegally consuming electricity without paying bills. That’s why their connection was disconnected. If payment isn’t made, how can power be given!” the CM said.

The CM also said that he had enquired about the issue from administration, police and BSF authorities and said there were many things which could not be said in the Assembly, whilst sitting that most individuals from these families have dual citizenship.

“This area is notorious for severe cross-border crimes including human trafficking and drug smuggling. In the last eight months, criminal gangs from Bangladesh attacked people in the area and severely injured women and children. These crimes are related to smuggling-related issues,” Saha said, adding that there is no issue of human rights violation in the incident.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Tuesday submitted a deputation to the Tripura Human Rights Commission and said disconnecting electric services to these families is tantamount to murder in the ongoing heat spell and said power lines were similarly disconnected to 20 other minority families in the Jaipur area near the Indo-Bangla international border near Agartala. The Congress also sought the Commission’s intervention to ensure that the state government restores power services to the affected families on an urgent basis and consider their cases on humanitarian grounds.

On Sunday, Jitendra Chaudhury sought the intervention of Manik Saha in providing rehabilitation to these minority families and sought the CM’s intervention to resolve a host of problems faced by these people including severe restrictions on their movement, pure drinking water, educational institutions, ICDS centres. He alleged that an attempt was made to cut off their power supply on March 27.

Highlighting these issues, Chaudhury demanded the chief minister take required steps to relocate these families in some nearby areas where they could access government facilities, and reconsider the construction of the barbed wire fencing by following the Indira-Mujib pact.

Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh, including land-based and riverine border, much of which is covered with barbed_wire fence, except for a few patches which are still unfenced due to local disputes.

Due to provisions of the 1971 Indira-Mujib Pact and Indo-Bangla Border Agreement signed in 1975 between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the then Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guards of Bangladesh), there is no ‘no man’s land’ in the international border.

Instead, barbed-wire fences were erected by India and border pillars were set up by Bangladesh inside respective nations’ territories at a 150-yard distance from the zero line as per the India-Bangladesh Border Agreement.

The barbed-wire fencing process started nearly 20 years ago as per the Indira-Mujib Pact, mainly to ensure security of the nation, prevent infiltration, insurgency and to reduce border-related crimes.

As per the Elections Commission of India, 1,500 people lived beyond the barbed wire fence in the West Tripura parliamentary constituency alone during the 2024 Parliamentary polls. Some more live outside the fence in East Tripura Parliamentary seat, though the figures aren’t available.

Over five decades later, many families continue to cling on to their ancestral land outside the barbed-wire fence without adequate compensation and livelihood opportunities. These lands are part of Indian territory.

On the other hand, hundreds others have their agricultural land outside the fence and check in with the BSF every morning and go to tend their fields beyond the fence and have to mandatorily return within the fence by evening as border gates close by 5 pm.