09:00 - 10:00 AM: Counterterrorism and Insurgency Legacy: From Armed Mobilisation to Preventive Security

Context
Tripura has moved away from the intense insurgency phase that once shaped its internal security environment. Groups such as NLFT and ATTF have entered settlement and surrender frameworks, but the state still carries the legacy of armed mobilisation, ethnic insecurity, underground networks and cross-border shelter patterns. The current challenge is not a visible return to insurgency, but the risk that unresolved grievances, narcotics money, unemployed former cadres and weak rehabilitation may create new forms of insecurity. This session will examine how Tripura can move from a post-insurgency settlement model to a preventive counterterrorism framework that detects early warning signs, disrupts residual networks and prevents criminal capture of former conflict spaces.

Guiding questions

• What lessons does Tripura’s insurgency history offer for preventive counterterrorism in the Northeast?

• How can residual militant networks, former cadre linkages and criminal facilitators be monitored without over-securitising communities?

• What role can Assam Rifles’ wider Northeast counterinsurgency experience play in supporting doctrine, training, intelligence coordination and rehabilitation models?

• How can security agencies prevent narco-trafficking and organised crime from replacing insurgency as the new destabilising force?

Speaker

Brigadier Nishant Chandel
Commander, HQ 21 Sector, The Assam Rifles

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10:00 - 10:50 AM: Emerging Digital Risks to Internal Security: The Case of Tripura  

Context
Tripura’s expanding digital connectivity has created new opportunities for governance, commerce and public participation, but it has also introduced emerging internal-security risks. Misinformation, communal rumours, deepfakes, online radicalisation, cyber fraud and encrypted communication can be used to inflame identity tensions, manipulate public opinion and facilitate criminal or extremist activity.

Digital platforms may also support narcotics trafficking, recruitment of vulnerable youth, illicit financial transfers, forged documentation and coordination across borders. The session will examine how Tripura can strengthen cyber intelligence, public awareness, platform cooperation and rapid-response mechanisms while protecting legitimate expression and avoiding excessive restrictions.

Guiding questions

• What digital threats pose the greatest risk to social harmony and internal security in Tripura?

• How are social media, encrypted platforms and digital payments being exploited by criminal, trafficking or extremist networks?

• What mechanisms are needed to identify and counter misinformation, deepfakes and inflammatory content before they trigger offline harm?

• How can police, cyber agencies, educational institutions, civil society and technology platforms build public resilience while safeguarding privacy and freedom of expression?

Speaker

Shri Ankit Tewari
Director
Counter Terrorism Division
Centre for Internal Security Analysis

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11:00 - 11:50 AM: Border States in India’s Neighbourhood Policy: The Case of Tripura

Context
India’s border states are increasingly important stakeholders in the our relations with neighbouring nations. Their geography, historical ties, cross-border communities, trade routes and security concerns often place them at the intersection of foreign policy, internal as well as external security and domestic governance. Tripura’s long border with Bangladesh gives it particular significance in advancing regional connectivity, lawful trade, energy cooperation, cultural exchange and India’s engagement with its eastern neighbourhood.

At the same time, border states must manage concerns relating to migration, trafficking, transnational crime, border infrastructure and the impact of political or economic developments in neighbouring countries. A more consultative approach—connecting national foreign-policy priorities with the experience of state governments, local administration, security agencies, businesses and border communities—can help transform frontier regions into bridges of cooperation while safeguarding national interests.

Guiding questions

• How can border states such as Tripura contribute more effectively to the formulation and implementation of India’s neighbourhood policy?

• How can connectivity, trade and people-to-people relations with Bangladesh be expanded while addressing border security, documentation and transnational crime concerns?

• What coordination mechanisms are required among the Ministry of External Affairs, central ministries, the state government, security agencies and local authorities on neighbourhood-related issues?

• How can India ensure that regional connectivity and economic cooperation generate visible livelihood and development benefits for border communities?

Speaker

• Ms Smruti S Pattanaik
  Research Fellow
  Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP IDSA)

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11:50 - 12:20 PM: Border Connectivity and Internal Security in Tripura: Opportunities, Risks and Regional Implications

Context

Tripura has emerged as a strategic gateway for India's Act East Policy, where expanding border connectivity and infrastructure are reshaping economic opportunities, regional cooperation and security dynamics. Enhanced connectivity with Bangladesh has strengthened trade, mobility and regional integration, while also creating new challenges related to border management, transnational crime, illegal migration, narcotics trafficking, and other non traditoinal security threats. This session will examine how Tripura can balance connectivity-driven development with effective border governance and internal security, while assessing the broader regional implications for India-Bangladesh relations and the wider eastern neighbourhood.

Guiding questions

• How can Tripura expand connectivity with Bangladesh while strengthening border governance and internal security?

• What risks related to trafficking, illegal migration, document fraud and other transnational crimes may grow alongside new transport and trade corridors?

• What coordination is required among customs, immigration, police, border forces, intelligence agencies, land-port authorities and the civil administration?

• How can connectivity projects generate visible benefits for border communities while advancing India–Bangladesh cooperation and the Act East Policy?

Speakers

• Dr. Afsara Shaheen
  Research Associate, Institute of Conflict Management, New Delhi

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12:20 - 13:00 PM: Youth, Civil Society and Rehabilitation: Preventing Recruitment and Building Community Resilience

Context

Young people in Tripura’s border and tribal communities face interconnected pressures arising from unemployment, substance abuse, disrupted education, social alienation and limited livelihood opportunities. These vulnerabilities may be exploited by narcotics networks, smugglers, traffickers, extremist groups and other organised criminal actors seeking couriers, local facilitators or recruits.

Civil society organisations, student and youth bodies, women’s groups, community institutions, educational establishments and rehabilitation centres can play an important preventive role through early identification, counselling, de-addiction, skills development and community engagement. The session will examine how rehabilitation can move beyond short-term assistance and connect affected youth, former couriers and other vulnerable groups with education, employment, entrepreneurship, sports and dignified social reintegration.

Guiding Questions

• What are the principal security, social and economic vulnerabilities affecting youth in Tripura’s border and tribal communities?

• How can civil society help prevent the recruitment of young people into narcotics networks, smuggling, trafficking and extremist mobilisation?

• What rehabilitation and reintegration models are needed for drug-affected youth, former couriers, vulnerable students and unemployed borderland populations?

• How can education, skills, sports, entrepreneurship, counselling and community leadership be integrated into a long-term youth resilience programme?

Speakers

• Dr. Trinankur Dey
  Assistant Professor, ICFAI University

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13:00 - 13:50 PM: Security through Development: The Role of India-Bangladesh Border Trade

Context

Tripura’s border with Bangladesh gives it a strategic opportunity to use trade, investment and connectivity as instruments of development and security. Land ports, border haats, transport corridors and formal trading systems can generate employment, attract private investment, support local enterprises and connect Tripura more closely with markets in Bangladesh and the wider Northeast.

Greater commercial activity can benefit farmers, artisans, logistics providers, small businesses, women and young people, while reducing economic isolation in border areas. Improved access to Bangladeshi ports and transport networks can also lower logistics costs and strengthen Tripura’s potential as a gateway for Northeast India. At the same time, expanding trade must be supported by modern border infrastructure, efficient customs systems, secure documentation and inter-agency coordination to prevent trafficking, contraband and misuse of legitimate commercial channels. The session will examine how regulated cross-border trade can simultaneously promote regional development, employment and a more secure border environment.

Guiding questions

• How can India–Bangladesh trade increase investment, employment and enterprise opportunities in Tripura and the wider Northeast?

• What infrastructure, customs reforms and transport connectivity are required to make Tripura a viable regional trade and logistics hub?

• How can border haats, land ports and formal trade better support local farmers, artisans, small businesses, women and young people?

• How can trade facilitation be balanced with effective screening, intelligence sharing and safeguards against organised crime and contraband?

Speakers

• Prof (Dr.) Ashish Nath
  Professor, Department of Economics
  Tripura University

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14:00 - 14:45 PM: Internal Security Issues and Regional Geopolitics- Role of Major Powers in India's North East Region 

Context
India’s Northeast lies at the intersection of South Asia, Southeast Asia and China, making its internal security increasingly connected with regional geopolitics. Developments in Myanmar and Bangladesh, China’s strategic presence, and expanding Indo-Pacific engagement by Japan, the United States and other partners can influence border management, connectivity, trade, infrastructure and local security conditions. India’s Act East Policy similarly places the Northeast at the centre of economic and strategic engagement with Southeast Asia.

External competition can create opportunities for investment and connectivity, but may also intensify concerns relating to insurgent mobility, arms and narcotics trafficking, cyber threats, disinformation and strategic infrastructure. The session will examine how India can protect the region from destabilising external influences while using international partnerships to advance development, resilience and peaceful regional integration.

Guiding questions

• How do China and other major powers shape the strategic and internal-security environment of India’s Northeast?

• How are political developments in Myanmar and Bangladesh affecting border security, connectivity and regional stability?

• How can India use partnerships with Japan, the United States and Southeast Asian countries to strengthen infrastructure, investment and security without turning the Northeast into an arena of geopolitical competition?

• What coordination is required among foreign-policy institutions, security agencies, state governments and local communities to manage external risks while advancing the Act East Policy?

Speakers

• Dr. Mohd. Firoz Ahamed
  Research Fellow
  Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)

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15:00 - 16:00 PM: Infiltration, Indigenous Rights and Cross-Border Terrorism: Security, Identity and Conflict Prevention

Context

Tripura’s border location creates complex challenges involving unauthorised cross-border movement, trafficking networks, extremist mobility and the spillover of instability from neighbouring areas. These concerns intersect with longstanding indigenous anxieties relating to land, identity, demographic change, political representation and access to livelihoods.

Effective security policy must therefore combine firm border management, intelligence coordination and action against organised or terrorist networks with constitutional protections for indigenous communities and humane treatment of vulnerable persons. The session will examine how Tripura can address genuine security threats without encouraging ethnic profiling, collective suspicion or further social polarisation.

Guiding questions

• How can authorities distinguish cross-border terrorism, organised infiltration and trafficking from migration driven by economic or humanitarian pressures?

• How can indigenous concerns relating to land, identity, representation and demographic security be addressed within the constitutional framework?

• What intelligence-sharing, border-management and inter-agency mechanisms are required to prevent extremist movement, arms trafficking and conflict spillovers?

• How can security enforcement protect indigenous rights and social harmony while avoiding ethnic profiling and collective blame?

Speakers

• Dr. Sunil Kalai
  Assistant Professor
  Journalism and Mass Communication
  Tripura University 

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16:00 - 16:30 PM: Press, Public Communication and Information Warfare: Countering Rumours, Polarisation and Cross-Border Narratives

Context

Tripura’s borderland insecurity is not limited to physical threats. Rumours, communal messaging, ethnic polarisation, fake news, cross-border propaganda, manipulated videos and misinformation around migration, drugs, violence or security action can quickly disturb public order. The press can either unintentionally amplify panic or become a critical partner in verification, public awareness and democratic accountability. This session will examine how journalists, editors, digital media platforms and public communication officers can help counter information warfare while protecting press freedom and responsible reporting.

Guiding questions

• How do rumours, fake news, communal messaging and cross-border narratives affect Tripura’s internal security?

• What role should the press play in verifying sensitive information on migration, border incidents, narcotics, trafficking and communal tension?

• How can security agencies communicate with journalists without compromising operations or restricting legitimate reporting?

• What framework is needed for responsible crisis reporting, fact-checking, multilingual public communication and protection against information warfare?

Speakers

• Shri Pratim Ranjan Bose
  Columnist, Commentator, Author, Researcher and Journalist 

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16:30 - 17:15 PM: Pathways to Stabilisation: Integrated Counterterrorism, Border Governance and Organised Crime Disruption/ Discussion on LPAI creating opportunities for youth

Context

Tripura’s stability depends on integrating multiple policy streams: peace agreement implementation, counterterrorism preparedness, organised crime disruption, humane border governance, legal trade promotion, youth rehabilitation, social cohesion and information resilience. The state cannot address insurgency legacy, narcotics, cattle movement, illegal migration, forged documents, human trafficking and border livelihoods as isolated problems. This concluding session will identify a practical 12–24 month roadmap for Tripura that combines national security, local trust and economic opportunity.

Guiding questions

• What should a realistic Tripura Border Peace and Security Framework include over the next 12–24 months?

• How can India integrate counterterrorism preparedness, peace implementation, anti-narcotics action, border trade and social security reform?

• What inter-agency mechanism is needed between BSF, Assam Rifles, Tripura Police, NCB, ED, DRI, Customs, Land Ports Authority, district administration and civil society?

• How can Tripura become a model for borderland governance where lawful trade, community trust, youth rehabilitation and organised crime disruption reinforce each other?

Speakers

• Shri Debasis Nandi
  Regional Coordinator
  Land Ports authority of India
  Ministry of Home Affairs