Repatriation of 30 Bru Families Starts to Mizoram

Finally, the repatriation of the Bru families to Mizoram starts on Wednesday. After a gap of 21 long years, 30 Bru families living in the six Bru refugee camps of North Tripura have now formally started from Tripura to Mamith subdivision in North Mizoram.

At the outset of the repatriation process, 30 families have accepted the repatriation package offered by the Central government and the reports says that within a few days this repatriation process will finish.

The repatriation of the Bru families has got to take place as a result of the migration of the Bru community people from Mizoram to Tripura in 1997 in the wake of ethnic violence. Notably, a huge number of over 30,000 people had fled from Mizoram and since then, were living in total six camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivisions of North Tripura.

The central government tried to commence the repatriation process in the month of August as well but failed due to a dispute over the repatriation package. Following the Ministry of Home Affairs’ instructions, a prior attempt at transferring 5407 Bru families was scheduled to take place on August 14.

The initiative for the repatriation of the refugees takes place following the signing of a tripartite agreement by the Government of India, Governments of Mizoram and Tripura and Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum in New Delhi this year.

The repatriated refugees will be given a package of 1.5 lakh for housing assistance after three years of uninterrupted stay in Mizoram. However, there is even more for them and they will be eligible to receive Rs 5000 every month for the monthly expanse along with Rs 4 lakhs for sustenance and 2 years’ ration.

Since 1997, a total of 32,876 Brus in 5407 families were living in the refugee camps of Tripura.