The Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), one of Tripura’s prominent tribal student organisations, has strongly opposed a recent notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), calling it a direct threat to the rights and identity of indigenous communities in the state and the wider Northeast. In a press release issued on Thursday, September 4, the TSF demanded the immediate withdrawal of the notification, which was announced by the MHA on September 1 under the Immigrants and Foreigners Act. The order states that members of six minority communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, will be eligible to apply for Indian citizenship. The notification makes them eligible even if they entered the country without valid documents or if their documents have since expired.
The TSF argued that the move is an extension of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which it has opposed since its passage in 2019. According to the student body, such measures open the door to legitimising “refugees and illegal immigrants” and would have serious demographic and cultural consequences for the indigenous population. “The Government of India is once again attempting to legitimise refugees and illegal immigrants. This poses a grave threat to the demographic balance, identity, and existence of the Indigenous People of Tripura and the Northeast region,” the press release stated. The TSF particularly criticised the decision to extend the cut-off date from 2014 to 2024, warning that this would significantly accelerate demographic shifts in the state.
Tripura, which already has a complex history of demographic change, has long witnessed tensions between indigenous tribes and non-tribal populations. Tribal leaders and organisations fear that fresh citizenship provisions could further marginalise the indigenous people, diluting their political, social, and cultural rights. The TSF leadership—President Samrat Debbarma and General Secretary Hamalu Jamatia, who jointly signed the press release—warned that the organisation would not remain silent if the notification was not withdrawn. “If the government fails to roll back this order, we will be left with no option but to launch a large-scale democratic protest movement,” the statement declared.
