Tripura

indiastatestories
Jan 19
5 min read

Updated: Oct 30

Before Independence, Tripura was a thirteen-gun salute state under the Governor of Bengal. The state enjoyed a great degree of autonomy due to the lack of a direct British Resident. However, its geopolitical situation was complicated by its proximity to what would soon become East Pakistan. Following the partition of India, large parts of Tripura's territory were ceded to East Pakistan, effectively isolating Tripura from Assam due to the lack of rail and road connections.

Ujjayanta Palace, former royal palace of the Princely State of Tripura

The Maharaja Bir Bikram of Tripura faced a critical decision regarding the state's future (Debbarma, 2022). While he preferred to join Hindu-majority India, Chakla Roshanabad, a neighbouring zamindari under Tripura’s administration, had a Muslim majority. Under the partition, Chakla Roshanabad was slated to be part of East Pakistan. The situation was further complicated by the fact that virtually every road in Tripura passed through Chakla Roshnabad, and the revenue from this area was crucial for the Maharaja’s administration. If a border were to be drawn between the hills and the plains, the economy of Tripura would have been devastated, as its entire administrative structure relied on the income from these regions (Ishaq, 1971).

However, Maharaja Bir Bikram passed away just months before Independence without making a final decision. His son, Prince Kirit, a minor, was installed as a nominal ruler. At the same time, his widow, Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi, became the Regent, taking charge of the administration and decision-making processes through the unprecedented circumstances. Tripura was then classified as a Council of Regency (Singha and Singh, 2015).

At the same time, Tripura was also fraught with internal political struggles. The Tripura Rajya Gana Mukti Parishad (TRGMP) began to push for a more democratic system in place of the existing monarchy, while the Sengkrak organisation initiated a movement opposing the merging of Tripura with India. Sengkrak also advocated for the removal of Bengalis from the state, reflecting tensions related to the demographic changes and the inflow of Bengali refugees post-partition (Ghosh, 2003).

Tripura’s merger agreement

In 1949, after much political turmoil and negotiation, Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi signed the Merger Agreement, formally merging Tripura into India. As a part of the agreement, the state was classified under Article 239 of the Constitution – i.e., administered by the President through an appointed Chief Commissioner (Government of India, 1949). This move was essential for integrating Tripura more closely with the Indian Union and ensuring the state’s security and stability, particularly in the context of the refugee influx and the loss of territory to East Pakistan. The agreement also promised a privy purse of 3.3 lakh rupees, as well as maintenance of land and religious rights.

The Merger Agreement marked a significant moment in Tripura’s history, establishing it as an integral part of the Indian Union and setting the stage for its political and administrative evolution under the central administration. The integration, however, also left lasting scars and tensions within the state's political and social landscape, as the tussle between monarchy, democracy, and regional autonomy continued to shape the state’s future.

Merger agreement of Tripura; Source: White Paper on Indian States

On January 26, 1950, Tripura came to be classified as a Part C state under India’s Constitution, continuing its existing status as a state directly controlled via central administration. This classification reflected its unique administrative status during the early post-independence period (Tripura Assembly, n.d.).

The journey to democracy

When the State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was formed, it initially proposed integrating Tripura into Assam. However, when the SRC report came out in 1955, Tripura's separate status was retained, and it was designated as a union territory (SRC, 1955).

Parliament's response to demands for autonomy came in 1956 in the form of the Territorial Councils Act, which empowered local governance in Tripura. Territorial councils were established to oversee various aspects of local administration. The first elections to the Tripura Territorial Council were held in 1957 – the first step towards representative governance (Bareh, 2001).

To address further demands for greater autonomy, a committee was formed in 1961, led by Union Law Minister Ashoke Kumar Sen.They recommended the introduction of the panchayati raj institution as well as the transfer of more subjects to the territorial councils. In 1963, while retaining Tripura’s UT status, the central government created a Council of Ministers to be headed by a Chief Executive Councillor, who increased political say (Tripura Legislative Assembly, n.d.).

Reorganization of North-East India

The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act of December 30, 1971, reshaped Tripura's story. Alongside Meghalaya and Manipur, Tripura was granted statehood, paving the way for a new era in its governance and development (Government of India, 1971).

January 21, 1972, marked a historic milestone as Tripura emerged as a full-fledged state. This transition signified a significant moment in Tripura's journey from a princely state to an integral part of India's federal structure.

Ethnic tensions

Tripura housed over 16 lakh refugees during the 1971 Bangladesh War, causing concerns among tribal minorities. In response, the Tripura Assembly passed the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council Bill in 1979, which was added to the Sixth Schedule in 1984 (Tripura High Court, 1979). This significant move allocated over 68% of Tripura's land to the council, which now operates from Khumulwng, near Agartala.

Due to the influx of Bengalis, the tribal population had become a minority by 1951. In 1967, the Tripura Upjati Juba Samiti (TUJS) was established by educated tribal youth, demanding the use of Kokborok in the Roman script for education and state affairs. (UCA, n.d.)

Initially, the state of Tripura comprised the three districts of North Tripura, South Tripura and West Tripura. Subsequently, each of these districts came to be split in 2014, creating the new districts of Dhalai, Gomati, Khowai, Sipahijala and Unakoti (Government of Tripura, 2017).