AGARTALA, July 21 (TIWN): Internet that had been crippled in Tripura during IPFT's blockade withdrawn, has been back on Thursday night 9 PM. However during the internet shutdown, only BSNL was functioning fully as maximum youth users in Tripura were reported under private telecommunications and BSNL is used by officials mostly.

Talking to SP West Abhijit Saptarshi over phone as a message to the internet users he said, "Please do not believe on any story of communal violence as the whole process of blockade withdrawal remained peaceful so far".  Saptarshi further mentioned, "The blockade withdrawal process had begun since the morning but it had taken time to complete the whole process".

The all agitators were sent back amidst high security, confirmed SP.

Via media SP also urged people to continue the communal harmony.

The blockade was called by the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) on July 10 that led to serious shortage of essential items, including food grain.

"The blockade was withdrawn this morning without any major trouble. Although we were fully ready to evict the IPFT people, we did not use force as they called-off the blockade on their own," West District Police Chief Abhijit Saptarshi told IANS from the Khamtingbari blockade site, 35 km north of here.

Saptarshi said that they are arranging some buses to ferry the IPFT members including women to their villages in different districts.

IPFT President Narendra Chandra Debbarma while announcing the withdrawal, said the central government is expected to hold a meeting with party leaders next week to discuss about their demand.

"Governor Tathagata Roy communicated our demand to the central government. We have advanced one step to achieve the separate state for the tribals. We have to go a long way to achieve the desire goal," Debbarma said.

The IPFT has been agitating since 2009 for a separate state to be carved out by upgrading the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq.km area, home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals.

Most political parties, including the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the other tribal parties including Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura have rejected the IPFT's demand, saying it was not practical to divide the small state.