Published: November 13, 2025, 04:26 PM
A political firestorm erupts as Tripura’s titular king Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma publicly claims vast areas of Bangladesh as part of a “Greater Tripura Land,” coupled with alarming security accusations.
Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma is the current titular Maharaja (King) and statesman from Tripura and also the Chairman of the Tripura Motha Party. He has ignited a significant political and diplomatic controversy by publishing a proposed map of a "Greater Tripura Land," which lays claim to 11 districts from neighboring Bangladesh.
The map was posted to his official Facebook profile on Tuesday (November 11).
The proposed territory explicitly includes Bangladesh`s entire Cumilla (comprising the districts of Cumilla, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, and Feni) and the entire Chattogram Division (including Chattogram, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Bandarban, and Cox`s Bazar), merging them with the current Indian state of Tripura.
In addition to the territorial claim, Debbarma`s post included several serious security allegations. He claimed that in the wake of recent explosions in Delhi, Pakistan`s intelligence agency, the ISI, has begun recruiting "disaffected youth" in India for terrorist training. He further alleged, "I have information that Pakistani Generals and Brigadiers are present in Chattogram and Dhaka."
Debbarma also made public claims that "some tribal populations" from the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) had contacted him, requesting that he "occupy" Chattogram to help establish the "Greater Tripura Land."
He further boasted that if he received official permission from the Indian government, he possessed the capability to "capture" (or "take over") the Chattogram port within a very short timeframe, which he specified as "two minutes" in one public statement.
The "Greater Tripura" concept, which includes parts of the Chattogram and CHT regions, is not a new talking point for Debbarma. He has been openly promoting the idea for several months across Indian media, social media platforms, and at political rallies.
As of Wednesday, there has been no official reaction or statement issued by either the Government of Bangladesh or the Government of India regarding Debbarma`s claims.
Political analysts have expressed concern that such overt geopolitical claims involving the territory of a neighbouring sovereign nation could severely escalate regional political sensitivities and create new security challenges.
