Confusion Erupts Over Enemy Property Transfer in Tripura Amid Tipra Motha Founder Pradyot Kishore’s Allegations

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 18, 2025

A wave of misunderstanding has swept across the state following allegations by Pradyot Kishore, founder of Tipra Motha, regarding the transfer of enemy property records. Pradyot Kishore claims that properties at Kupilong ADC area under Gomati district in Tripura formerly owned by Bangladeshi citizens have been wrongly interpreted and registered in their names, sparking widespread concern.

Government records clarify that no individual or organization can claim ownership of any property listed under a Bangladeshi name until formal action is taken by the Indian authorities. The Enemy Property Act has since been amended, and management of such assets falls under the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The land at Kupiling Mauza, which prompted Pradyot Kishore’s social media outcry, is indeed classified as enemy property. Official documents correctly list the original owner as a Bangladeshi citizen, purchased in the ADC area decades ago. Pradyot Kishore’s assertion that these records imply current private ownership by a Bangladeshi national is entirely unfounded.

Sources from the Department of Land Reforms and Survey reveal that the Government of India remains the true proprietor of this parcel. It is officially recorded under enemy property, though the Khatiyan (record) bears the names Dilu Miah and his father, Badsha Miah. Following a 1973 bilateral agreement, land exchanges took place between India and Bangladesh, yet numerous plots remain registered in each other’s citizens’ names. In many cases across Tripura and other states, properties listed under Bangladeshi names are inhabited by Indian nationals, and vice versa.

Historical surveys indicate that Kupiling Mauza’s first cadastral survey was finalized in 1963 under plot number 544, later falling under the Forest Department’s jurisdiction with Khatiyan number 3/38 in Udaipur subdivision. In 1973, the then District Collector allotted this land to Dilu Miah under allotment number 10. Land Reforms Department records list it as Khatiyan 812 (formerly 544/1942).

By 2000, the property had come into the possession of one Jamatia, who remains its occupant to this day. The plot also appears as Khatiyan 627 under the enemy property category, deemed abandoned by its recorded Bangladeshi owner and therefore ineligible for transfer under Indian law. Pursuant to the Enemy Property Act of 1968, the Udaipur Sub-Divisional Officer issued a notice on 16 June to the recorded owner. The initial hearing has already taken place, with a second session scheduled for 29 July to determine CEPI’s final decision.

State authorities are actively reviewing all enemy properties in ADC and other tribal areas, initiating disposal processes in accordance with CEPI guidelines. Critics warn that statements like those made by an elected representative risk sowing public confusion and undermining the transparent administration of these sensitive assets.

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