Citizenship bill: INPT to set up road blockade in protest

The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), a regional tribal party, on Thursday, threatened to set up a road blockade on National Highway-8 to protest against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.

The NH 8, known as the Assam-Agartala highway, is considered to be the lifeline of Tripura.

INPT general secretary Jagadish Debbarma said the tribal party convened a meeting of its central working committee on November 12, and decided that the road blockade would be held before winter session of the Parliament, scheduled to begin on December 11 this year.

"We decided in that meeting that we will organise district level rallies and gatherings against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill. But the situation is compelling us to rectify and revise our decision and directly go for national highway blockade for 6 hours," Debbarma said.

"So, we are contemplating to postpone the district-wise events for now," he said.

Speaking on the party's stand regarding revision of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Debbarma said that his party has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking NRC revision in Tripura.

"We are waiting for the date of hearing at the Supreme Court. We have got case number, diary number. Since the issue is now sub-judice, we would not comment on it," he added.

Earlier in October, a five-member delegation of INPT met members of an inter-ministerial high power committee, formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to study socio-cultural, linguistic and economic problems of tribes living in Tripura, and had demanded Inner Line Permit and implementation of NRC revision in Tripura to "safeguard identity and interests" of the indigenous people.