Prominent Tripura tribal leader dead

Debbarma, the founder general secretary of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), was elected to the state assembly four times since 1983.The former education, power and cooperative minister (1988 to 1993) in Tripura is survived by his wife and two children. He was suffering from jaundice and liver failure.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury, Leader of OppositionRatan Lal Nath and many other leaders cutting across party lines rushed to his home here immediately after getting the news to pay their respects.

"A teetotaler, a non smoker and smiling all the time, Debbarma was always full of wit and humour and a store house of real life stories. He was a star organiser of the main tribal-based party (Tripura Upajati Juba Samity to INPT) in Tripura since he join politics in early 1980s," veteran tribal leader Nagendra Jamatia said . The cremation was held Saturday afternoon at the Battala cremation ground.