Security beefed up in Tripura along Bangladesh border amid concerns over movement of armed groups

Security measures along specific sections of the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura have been intensified in light of reports regarding the movements of two armed groups operating in Bangladesh, officials in India said yesterday (3 January). 

The groups of concern are the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), reports The Hindu.

Rinku Lather, the district magistrate for Gomati district in southern Tripura, has released a notification expressing concerns that members of the PCJSS and UPDF might attempt to cross into the state alongside other individuals from Bangladesh and Rohingyas, with intentions to "commit crimes, engage in smuggling and disrupt public order." 

This warning stems from information obtained from the Border Security Force, reads the notification.

Additionally, the notification indicates that restrictions under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 will be enforced to maintain peace and security, while thwarting the plans of anti-national elements and organisations that threaten public safety.

A night curfew has been instituted from 6pm to 6am in select border areas of the Karbook subdivision of Gomati district, effective until 28 February. 

However, residents living within 300 metres of the international border will be exempt from these restrictions.

Tripura shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh, reports The Hindu, with Gomati and Dhalai districts adjacent to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh.

The Indian daily said that on 13 June last year, Tripura police detained 13 individuals associated with the PCJSS, including two women. 

At the time, officials said these individuals entered India seeking medical care after suffering injuries from clashes with a rival group in Panchari, CHT, with many exhibiting visible bandages on their limbs.