Tripura
Manu Manpui
,
Kanchanpur
,
North Tripura
Published :
Nov 2023
|
Updated :
North Tripura protests land encroachment by surrendered militants amid rehabilitation crisis
Reported by
East Street Journal Asia
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
1275
People affected
2023
Year started
11
Land area affected
Households affected
1275
People Affected
2023
Year started
11
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Encroachment by Non-Right Holders (Other than Caste-based)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Encroachment by Non-Right Holders (Other than Caste-based)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Locals of the Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura district protested against encroachments by members of different surrendered militants groups in the reserve forest areas and revenue land belonging to the state Revenue Department in Manu-Manpui.
Locals said the encroachment is in two specific areas: a) along the Manu-Manpui bypass road that connects the Kanchanpur sub-division with Manu and b) the area adjacent to the Kanchanpur-Machmara road.
On April 18, people who were given leases and land pattas under the Forest Rights Act staged a protest demanding the land to be vacated. Protesters demanded the eviction of the settlers from the forest area, while the settlers demanded rehabilitation and houses in exchange for vacating the land.
A total of 1275 members occupied 28 acres of land in the area, according to a report by The Tripura Post. However, there is no official figure available for the number of tribals who were affected due to the incident.
One of the protesters said, “A large group of surrendered militants have installed bamboo structures inside the Reserved Forest areas and also arbitrarily occupied lands of local tribal communities who had been allowed to use the land on a patta agreement. Even though SDM Kanchanpur Rajat Pant warned encroachers to stop construction in the forest land, they refused to halt construction.”
Following the protest, the Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha held a high-level meeting with senior officials, including the District Magistrate of North Tripura G Nagesh Kumar, at the secretariat.
On April 19, the ex-militants halted the construction in the area after the CM ordered the district officials to start a verification process for all the families demanding rehabilitation. The CM ordered the district administration to collect names, addresses, past records and other details of the people who had settled down in the area to expedite the land rehabilitation and allotment process.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for rehabilitation

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Forest

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 144 [The district magistrate has the power to issue orders to prevent obstruction, injury, or danger to human life. Orders can be issued to prevent public gatherings and suspend internet connection to prevent further violence]

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Government or community-regulated urban commons

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Sub Divisional Magistrate (North), Sub Divisional Magistrate (Kanchanpur), Tripura Home Department, Tripura Revenue Department, Tripura Forest Department, North Tripura District Administration, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Head of Forest Force (PCCF & HoFF), Tripura

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Yes

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Deprived Returnees Movement Committee (DMRC), Tripura United Indigenous Returnees People’s Council (TUIRPC)

5
Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 144 [The district magistrate has the power to issue orders to prevent obstruction, injury, or danger to human life. Orders can be issued to prevent public gatherings and suspend internet connection to prevent further violence]

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
East Street Journal Asia

East Street Journal Asia is a multilingual, Web-based news journal. It is an independent media organisation whose goal is to make transparent, unbiased and data-driven journalism accessible to all.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for rehabilitation

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Government or community-regulated urban commons

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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Exclusive monthly policy briefs, stories from the ground, Quarterly Analytics report, Curated Expert talks, merchandise and much more.


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