More than 1,000 members of the Youth Tipra Federation, the youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party, staged a massive protest along the India-Bangladesh border at Tripura’s South district on Monday protesting against the alleged illegal construction of an embankment by Bangladesh within Indian territory.

Armed with slogans and flags, the protesters accused the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Md Yunus, of violating international norms by constructing an embankment beyond the designated 150-yard buffer zone from the border, infringing on Indian soil.

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The area saw heavy deployment of security forces, including the Border Security Force (BSF) and Tripura Police, to prevent any escalation.

Speaking at the protest site, Suraj Debbarma, President of the Youth Tipra Federation, warned that the indigenous people of Tripura would not tolerate any encroachment on their ancestral land.

“As sons of the soil, we will protect our territory. If Bangladesh does not remove the illegal construction, we are prepared to reclaim Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Cox’s Bazar to form a Greater Tipraland,” Debbarma declared, invoking the vision long championed by Tipra Motha’s leadership for a separate homeland for indigenous Tripuris.

The protest underscored the growing frustration among indigenous groups in Tripura, many of whom have historical and ethnic ties to communities across the border in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The region has been a flashpoint since the partition of India, with the CHT’s large indigenous population facing displacement and demographic changes over decades.

Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, royal scion and founder of the Tipra Motha Party, voiced strong support for the protesters.

“Today at Belonia, thousands of our Tiprasa warriors were stopped by the BSF; otherwise, the illegal structure would have been demolished. All we need is a green signal, and we will act,” he said on social media.

Tripura shares an 856-km-long porous boundary with Bangladesh.

While India and Bangladesh have largely maintained cordial relations in recent years, including resolving major land disputes through the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement, localized disputes and small-scale encroachments continue to ignite passions on both sides.

The Government of India has not yet officially commented on the Youth Tipra Federation’s protest or the allegations regarding the embankment construction.