Bru Refugees Launches Movement Demanding Ration Supply to be Resumed

Bru refugees in Tripura whose ration supply had been discontinued by the central government asking them to go back to Mizoram, are now demanding for the ration supply to be resumed and also seeking permission to stay back in their refugee camps. Earlier, the central government has given an ultimatum to the Bru refugees that if they do not go back to Mizoram then their ration supply will be stopped. Notably, about 35,000 Bru refugees had settled in six camps of North Tripura.

Despite the central government order, only a few thousand Bru refugees had deported to Mizoram. This process of repatriation of the Bru refugees had taken place after the agreement between both Tripura and Mizoram governments and Bru representatives in July this year.

This new pressure by the Bru refugees on the MHA has, on the other hand, put stress on the BJP government as it was eyeing to win the Mizoram assembly polls this year. But now as the Bru voters are refusing to deport and are pressurizing the central government to fulfil their demands, this has acted as a negative factor for the BJP. The ruling party in Mizoram, Congress, however, has played the role of silent audiences.

The Bru refugees, whose ration supply was stopped since October 1, are now launching an agitation. A silent rally led by the newly formed Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples' Co-ordination Committee was brought out by the Bru refugees from Naisingh Para camp. The protesters walked a distance of 8 KM as a mark of their agitation. Later, a memorandum addressing the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was submitted to the Sub-divisional Magistrate Naba Kumar Jamatia by a team of four-member delegation.

In addition to the demand for ration supply, the Bru refugees also mentioned seven demands as their pre-condition for returning to their ancestral home in Mizoram. These include the formation of an autonomous district council for Brus in Mizoram, five hector land for each family, Rs 4 lakh to each family at the time of repatriation.