Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl (born 25 January 1946) is the current president of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance or TIPRA. He was the leader of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra, a political party based in the Indian state of Tripura.

Early life

Marriage and family

After finishing school in Shillong, Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl married Linda Hrangkhawl. The couple had a son Borkung Hrangkhawl. Borkung is now a popular singer-songwriter who is celebrated across Northeast India. Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, TNV chief, in The Week

Greater Tipraland Movement

On June 7, 2021, The INPT merged with TIPRA for the cause of Greater Tipraland Demand understand the leadership of Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl. Later on, in 11 June 2021, Hrangkhawl was elected as the president of the TipraHa Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA). This marks his participation in the demand of separate statehood for the Indigenous Tiprasa people.

Tripuri Nationalism leadership between 1978–1988

Hrangkhawl began his political career as an organising secretary in the ethno-nationalist Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti. He became the leader of the Tripuri Sena, the militant wing of TUJS. Tripuri Sena was formed following the Left Front victory in 1977, and it engaged in physical combat against the left. Tripuri Sena soon evolved into the Tripura National Volunteers. For ten years, 1978–1988, Hrangkhawl led an armed struggle as the supremo of the TNV, which sought to expel the Bengali majority from Tripura. TNV soon became infamous for their campaign of ethnic cleansing in the rural areas of Tripura. In 1983 he expressed the political ambitions of TNV in the following words in a letter to the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi: In 1988 TNV signed a peace treaty, and TNV was converted into a political party. TNV later merged with INPT.

Political career

After signing the TNV Accord in 1988, Bijoy Hrangkhawl joined mainstream politics with The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT). He oversaw the implementation of the agreement like the reservervation of three more seats for the Indigenous people in Tripura Assembly. In 1998 Tripura Assembly Election, Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl contested from Kulai constituency and became a Member of Legislative Assembly. He contested the state election as an Independent candidate. Hrangkhawl went on to contest two more election which is 2003 and 2008 Tripura Assembly Election and winning both of these elections.