Agartala, December 22, 2025: Members of the surrendered militant group Tripura Guerrilla Returned Demand Committee staged a blockade on the Assam–Agartala National Highway late Sunday night, causing massive traffic congestion. Dozens of trucks and passenger vehicles were stranded for hours in the Baramura area.

The protesters, all former militants who surrendered before 1998, pressed a three-point charter of demands. Chief among them is the immediate revival of a ₹23 crore rehabilitation project and the withdrawal of all pending cases against those who returned to the mainstream.

One participant said the rehabilitation scheme was originally sanctioned on May 22, 2007, with ₹45 crore allocated for permanent settlement and livelihood support. Work began in 2008 and continued until 2018, but was halted following a change of government and later the COVID-19 pandemic. “Of the ₹45 crore, nearly ₹22 crore has already been spent. We demand the remaining funds be used to restart the project. Despite repeated appeals to the administration, nothing has moved,” he said.

The protesters also highlighted issues with the Chief Minister’s rubber mission. While saplings were distributed, they claimed no funds were provided for fencing to protect them. “For three years the project ran smoothly, but this year it has not been implemented. Unless our demands are met, the highway blockade will continue,” warned one agitator.

Alongside rehabilitation, the group demanded the withdrawal of all pending cases against surrendered militants. To prevent escalation, police and administrative officials increased their presence at the protest site.