Tripura human rights panel flags violation in ‘ahead of the fencing’ villages, orders probe
The THRC has directed District Magistrate of West Tripura to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report by May 21
Tripura LoP, Jitendra Chaudhury during a recent visited to the villages in the area. (AT Photo)
Agartala, May 8: The Tripura Human Rights Commission (THRC) has launched an inquiry into serious allegations of human rights violations affecting 323 Indian citizens residing in the “ahead of the fencing” villages in the Matinagar Gram Panchayat area of West Tripura.
Acting on a formal complaint lodged by local villagers, THRC chairperson Justice Arindam Lodh has directed the District Magistrate of West Tripura to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report by May 21.
A separate response has also been sought from the Chief Managing Director of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) in relation to power-related grievances raised by the residents.
The THRC has deemed the matter a grave human rights concern.
According to the complaint, residents of the affected villages have been facing severe disruption to their daily lives due to arbitrary changes in the border gate timings.
Once operational from 6 am to 8 pm, the gates are now reportedly shut unpredictably during the day and fully closed after 5 pm, restricting movement and access to essential services, schools, and workplaces.
The villagers further allege that they are subjected to excessive scrutiny over the purchase and possession of basic household goods such as shampoo, soap, rice, and pulses.
They also face bureaucratic hurdles in repairing cyclone-damaged homes and in accessing burial grounds. Despite being legal consumers with regular bill payments, they claim to receive inadequate electricity supply and are barred from installing electrical equipment in their homes.
As per international border arrangements, the fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura has been constructed 150 yards inside Indian territory from the actual border pillars.
Several Indian families who own land beyond the fencing have been permitted conditional access to their properties.
Many of these citizens continue to live in these areas, officially designated as “ahead of the fencing villages” due to their strategic location from a security perspective.