MARCO CONCEPTUAL

livelihood aggravates

poverty and human

insecurity.

BOX 4.2

Women’s Fight against Terrorism in Tripura

Tripura has a special significance in the democratic women’s movement because women here, particularly tribal women, have not only endured insurgency and associated terror, but also been active participants in struggles for progressive change. As pointed out by Brinda Karat, then General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA): “Women have worked actively for peace and ethnic harmony and against the agenda of secessionist terrorist organizations. Tripura is the only State in the country today where an active women’s movement is fighting directly against terrorist groups. Women activists who oppose and campaign against the terrorists do so at the risk of their lives. While women all over the country are in the midst of a struggle to increase women’s participation in public life, in Tripura the struggle has an altogether different dimension” (Karat 2000).

Three AIDWA members recount their experiences in the struggle against terrorism in Tripura.

Bayjanti Koloi, Member of the Legislative Assembly: “After I was elected I have been working in my constituency Takarjala. It was the first time that a tribal woman had been elected, so all women and especially my tribal sisters were very happy. We held meetings regularly to discuss women’s problems and issues. Many women who never used to go out of their homes or who never knew about government policies began to speak out strongly about their demands. Women then began to receive threats from activists of the NLFT to stop all political activities. In the ADC areas, tribals and non- tribals lived together. However, the NLFT is targeting non-tribals and forcing them to leave. Tribals were stopped from selling rice to non-tribals. If a tribal woman wore a sari or a bangle she was stopped and threatened.”

Savitri D: “I was a candidate in the ADC elections and was very happy to be able to get a chance to represent the people. But the day I filed my nomination papers, I got a letter asking me to withdraw and threatening me with death unless I did so. I was also told that I would not be allowed to hold any election meetings. But I did not obey them. On the day of the elections, in many booths, my booth agents were not allowed in. I complained to the security forces but they did not listen to me. I lost the election not because of the people, but by the terrorist’s gun.”

Kiranbala (a tribal woman from Khowai): “I come from an agricultural worker’s family. We have no land. I have been working with the Nari Samiti. On 28 March, which we observe as Martyrs Day in memory of the first three tribal women martyrs, I went to attend a meeting. When returning, I was told that three men of the UBLFT were asking about me in Shanti Bazaar. I went another way. Suddenly I head the sound of bombs exploding. There were three bomb blasts. Two tribal boys were injured. I was rushing to the road when some male comrades came running and told me that a group of tribal youth were going towards the Bengali houses to take revenge. We rushed there to stop them. When we reached the spot we saw that they were looting Bengali houses and herding out the goats. We tried to stop them but were pushed and beaten back. We immediately met the security forces and asked for a security camp in the area.”

Source: AIDWA (2000).

from Mizoram. They are now shelter- ed in six camps in Kanchanpur sub- division, and their repatriation to Mizoram, despite successive rounds of negotiations, is yet to get under- way.

The situation in Tripura makes a case for a national policy on Inter- nally Displaced Persons (the term used in documents of the UN General Assembly), to ensure their physical safety and to ensure that they are not excluded from the development pro- cess as a whole.

4.3.3 The Impact on Women Women are special victims of terror- ism, which adds immeasurably to the burdens that they must bear and the forms of discrimination that they must endure. Women are immensely more vulnerable during periods of conflict, living in and fleeing conflict zones, and in rehabilitation camps. Crimes against women are exacer- bated by social changes in a period of conflict, such as those arising from a large internally displaced popu- lation.

In all such situations, women are victims of physical and sexual abuse. Indeed, confession-notes in police records suggest that many women cadre of the NLFT and the ATTF fled from camps and hide-outs, and sur- rendered to the Tripura police autho- rities after being subjected to frequent sexual abuse by their leaders.

The nature of gender discrimi- nation is such that female victims of sexual abuse and torture have to face the threat of ostracism.

Women in a range of circumstan- ces face special dangers. Among such women are, for instance, female relat- ives of insurgents; women relatives of government employees (particularly of members of the police and para-

BOX 4.3

Story of Displacement

S Deb Barma has been a member of the Tripura Nari Samiti for several years, and has worked to build unity among women of different communities to fight against extremist groups. For this reason, she has been publicly criticized by the extremists. On 12 May 2000, a group came to her and said she would have to campaign openly for the IPTF. S said: “I refused to do so. I left my house and went to stay with a relative. Two weeks later, on 26 May, they broke into my house and looted everything. They even occupied my land. My husband is unable to go to work. These are bad days but we should not lose heart.” She has lost her home, belongings, land and all sources of employment.

Source: AIDWA (2000). military forces); women who have

been forced to join militant groups; women in the hills who are – or have been forced into becoming – shelter- providers for factions of rival militant groups; and women who attempt to negotiate for peace, who are imme- diately vulnerable to suspicion and attack by insurgent groups.

Women in Tripura have suffered, but they have also fought back with courage and tenacity (Boxes 4.2, 4.3).

4.4 Fighting Insurgency

Governments and people’s move- ments ensure human security by means of a wide range of inter-related measures. A government’s duties in- clude the responsibility to protect people in conflict situations and assist them in post-conflict rehabilitation, besides taking steps to prevent and stop conflict. Fear stalks the insur- gency-affected villages of Tripura, and to free the people from fear is a cardi- nal objective of human security. Im- plementing a policy that seeks to en- sure human security in conflict situa- tions requires special and significant policy attention and budgeting. Any genuine solution to the present situa- tion demands that measures be taken by the Central and State Govern- ments, and that the people themselves organize against divisive forces and terrorism.

4.4.1 National Initiatives

With regard to Central measures, the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India constituted a Study Group to “keep the security situation in the entire North Eastern region under constant watch and recommend suitable measures for conflict resolution”. The State Gov- ernment has been categorical on two

points: that the curtain on terrorism cannot be drawn until, first, Bangla- desh stops providing overt or covert support to the insurgent groups; and, secondly, New Delhi provides more central security forces and other forms of assistance to deal with the insurgents.

India has from time to time ex- pressed concern at insurgent groups operating from Bangladesh. In spite of the evidence, the authorities in Bangladesh have denied the presence of such groups on their territory. At the 13th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Coopera- tion (SAARC) held in Dhaka in November 2005, all member-States (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives) called for early and effective imple- mentation of the Additional Proto- col to the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. They agreed that member-States would strengthen their cooperation in such important areas as exchange of in- formation, coordination and coope- ration among their relevant agencies. Implementing the Protocol in letter and spirit is a matter of immediate relevance to the security situation in

Any genuine solution to