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Journalism of Courage
AGARTALA, JAN 10: For Dipti Saha, her mangalsutra and sindoor (vermilion) are grim reminders of a happy past. Today, after 15 years, she can neither discard them nor find their meaning in her life anymore.
Dipti’s husband, Janardhan Saha, a small time trader, was kidnapped by the armed tribal guerrillas when he went to a hilly place under Amarpur sub-division in south Tripura district in August 1996 for purchasing vegetables.
Since then, Dipti with her two children ran from pillar to post seeking his release. The police and the administration have tried their best to locate Janardhan, but have failed.
Another such case is of Dilip Nath Sharma, a contractor by profession in the west Tripura’s Khowai area. His job called for frequent visits to remote and tribal areas. Known for his kind-heartedness and popularity among the tribals, Sharma didn’t believe that anybody would harm him. But on September 30, 1995, the insurgents abducted Sharma from a remote place in west Tripura district. Eversince her husband was abducted, for Sharma’s wife Gita life has been a long tale of negotiations and betrayals.
The militants demanded Rs 7 lakh as ransom through a middleman for Sharma’s release. Since then Gita has been selling properties to pay the ransom amount but so far her efforts have yielded nothing.
The problem is more acute and inhuman in rural areas of Tripura, where abduction by tribal militants is the order of the day.
In 1998, about 400 people, including children, students and minor girls, were abducted by the extremists.
About 230 captives returned after paying huge ransom to the militants, 33 were killed in the rebels’ custody while the rest remain untraced.
Manjushree Chakraborty’s story is no different. She is a housewife of a well-known Agartala family. Her husband, Yogabrata Chakraborty, owned six Tripura tea gardens and was also the chairman of the Tea Association of India’s (TAI) Tripura branch.
Chakraborty, who had contributed generously for the development of areasneighbouring his tea gardens and donated lands for hospitals, schools, post offices and police outpost, was kidnapped on June 6, 1996. When Chakraborty was supervising his garden at Sidhai area of west Tripura, a group of insurgents abducted him along with one of his associates.
Later, the associate was released but Chakraborty was held in captivity by the rebels.
Later, the State government wrote to the TAI informing them that Chakraborty was reportedly killed by the militants. Despite paying of Rs 29 lakh as ransom and repeated appeals, the ultras did not return Chakraborty’s body.
But this is not the only tragedy to hit the victim’s family members. Besides, social problems the victims’ Wives and kids also face legal hassles. While socially the Wives are not widows, legally they cannot inherit the properties meant for their husbands. They are not entitled to withdraw money from the missing’ person’s bank or non-banking accounts because to do so, they have to produce the person’s death certificate.Most of the victim’s family members face severe financial crisis.
According to a senior official, as per Indian Evidence Act, the death certificate of a missing’ person could only be issued after seven years of his missing information is registered before the police.
Earlier, the Tripura government had announced to provide government job or financial assistance to a family member of the person killed by the extremists. But wives of abducted husbands have been deprived of this benefit too.
The Tripura Assembly in its last session in August last year had discussed the matter. In a rare show of unity, the ruling Left Front and the Opposition Congress agreed to pass a Legislation to facilitate inheritance of properties by the family members of the abducted persons, who remained untraced for a long time.
