Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl (born 25 January 1946) is the current president of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance or TIPRA. He is a three-time MLA and former leader of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), a political party based in the Indian state of Tripura.
After finishing school in Shillong, Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl married Linda Hrangkhawl. The couple had a son Borkung Hrangkhawl and a daughter. His son, Borkung, is now a popular singer-songwriter who is celebrated across Northeast India. Hrangkhawl has acknowledged the support of his wife Linda on his political journey from the beginning and someone who has influenced him to keep striving for peace and the movement for the Indigenous people of Tripura.
On June 7, 2021, the INPT merged with TIPRA for the cause of Greater Tipraland Demand under the leadership of Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl.
Later on, in 11 June 2021, Hrangkhawl was elected as the president of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) now the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) led by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma. This marks his participation in the demand of separate statehood for the Indigenous Tiprasa people.
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, 1978âÂÂ1988, 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, the Tripura National Volunteers signed a peace treaty i.e. the TNV Accord with the Government of India and Government of Tripura after which TNV was converted into a political party. TNV later merged with INPT.
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.