How Bengalis from Chakla Roshnabad can be called ‘refugees’ : Sushanta
Agartala, Aug 21, 2022, By Our Correspondent599
Information and Cultural Affairs minister Sushanta Chowdhury sounded exception to the term ‘refugees’ for the Bengalis in Tripura who had come from erstwhile Chakla Roshnabad areas of now Bangladesh which had actually been a zamindari of the Tripura kings. The minister was speaking in a seminar organized by Tripura Digital Media Society on the subject –“Princely Tripura and Freedom Movement of India”.
The issue relating to the term ‘refugee’ for the Bengalis in Tripura from Chakla Roshnabad of the then Bengal ( Now Bangladesh) remained highly sensitive for decades and politicians preferred to avoid the subject as taboo. The Marxists who had the foundation and base of the political emergence from the tribal areas complicated the issue further with a 30 percent 70 percent narrative and identifying the Bengalis as migrants from East Pakistan. The issue remained a hot potato and Tripura witnessed riots and decades long militancy and now the demand for Greater Tipraland for the indigenous people.
However, on Saturday the young minister Chowdhury hit the chord when referred to the fact that during the colonial rule, Tripura remained divided into two parts – the hills –, which was called by the British as ‘Hill Tipperah’ and the ‘Chakla Roshnabad’ which according to the Traverse Survey of the Survey Department, covered an area of 533.77 square miles that included the vast areas of the districts of Tipperah (Comilla), Noakhali and Sylhet of the then Colonial . It was the subjects of this Zamindari of the Tripura Kings that maximum revenue used to come to the Tripura Royal coffer.
Chowdhury said, the issue is contentious and it is confusing as to how the people who came from these areas to Tripura after the Partition could be called ‘refugee’. A deep study and deliberations on this issue are needed, he felt.
Among others, Associate professor of Ramthakur College, Dr Ruma Bhattacharjee, Secretary of Agartala Press Club Pranab Sarkar, Director of ICA Ratan Biswas, veteran journalist Jayanta Bhattacharjee and president of TDMS Suman Debroy were also present on the dais.
Chowdhury said, We the people of Jati and Janajati - are living in Tripura in peace and harmony owing to the vision of the Kings of Tripura, especially Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur.
Taking a swipe at the previous Left Front government, he said,”There was a time when there was an attempt to distort history by denying the role of Tripura kings in the development of the state”.
The Minister hailed the efforts of the TDMS in highlighting the role of kings and people of princely Tripura during the country’s freedom struggle.
“A day after we celebrated the 114th birth Anniversary of Maharaja Bir Bikram, such a programme is an enlightening and very much relevant event”, he asserted.
Pointing out that media is also an industry; the Minister reiterated the incumbent government is media friendly. Apart from empanelling web media with the ICA, the government is also working to give accreditation to 300 media persons and bring the eligible media persons under the Health insurance scheme.
Dr Ruma Bhattacharya who is researching the unsung heroes and contribution of princely Tripura to India’s freedom movement made a detailed presentation on the topic. She said there were many people hailing from the then princely state of Tripura like Sachindra Lal Sinha, Debaprasad Sen, Biren Datta and many more who contributed to India’s Independence.
The research scholar also touched upon the Chakla Roshnabad and maintained that if noy full but definitely most part of the royal revenue used to come from these parts of the the then Tripura kingdom.
Secretary, Agartala Press Club, Pranab Sarkar congratulated the TDMS for arranging such a program that commemorates the 76th Independence Day and he exuded confidence the web media would play a crucial role in disseminating information.
Ratan Biswas, Director of ICA Tripura while addressing the program urged the digital media platforms to keep their sites updated on a regular basis so that people can avail all sorts of information on the tip of their fingers.
Senior journalist of the state, Jayanta Bhattacharya also presented a prelude to the topic - Princely Tripura and Freedom Movement of India.
Earlier a sit-and-draw competition was held in which around 100 children took part. After the discussion meeting, the children who participated in the sit-and-draw competition were awarded trophies and certificates in various categories As well as consolation prizes were also distributed among the participants.