Assam-Agartala Highway Blocked By Bru Community Over Pending Resettlement Promises

AGARTALA: Over 100 Bru or Reang people have blockaded the Assam-Agartala National Highway (NH-08), demanding the creation of new village committees and the allocation of agricultural land in 13 Bru resettlement locations in Ambassa, Dhalai District, Tripura.

The protest, which began early in the morning, has caused a significant traffic jam on the highway, disrupting travel and transport.

Protesters have expressed their frustration, stating that the government had promised agricultural land for all families as part of an agreement for their permanent settlement. One protester told reporters, “We were assured 5 hectares of agricultural land for each family and the formation of separate village committees for us. Until these issues are resolved, our protest will continue."

Although some Bru families have received agricultural land, many others remain without it, according to the protesters. Another demonstrator emphasized, “It was mentioned in the agreement. But the majority of the people haven’t received it. We have been demanding village committees for a long time, but nothing has been done yet. We have informed the officials multiple times, but there has been no response from the administration."

The Bru-Reang people, originally from Mizoram, have been living in Tripura since 1997 after ethnic tensions forced around 5,000 families, totaling approximately 30,000 individuals, to flee their homeland. The refugees were temporarily housed in camps in Kanchanpur, North Tripura.

Efforts by the Government of India to permanently rehabilitate the Bru-Reang refugees began in 2010, with the Union government supporting the two state governments in managing the refugees' resettlement. By 2014, 1,622 Bru families had returned to Mizoram in several batches.

In 2018, an agreement between the Union government, the governments of Tripura and Mizoram, and Bru-Reang representatives significantly increased the aid provided to the refugees. Under this agreement, 328 families, comprising 1,369 individuals, returned to Mizoram.

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