171 Bru families sent back to Mizoram from Tripura in 9th phase of repatriation

A total of 844 Bru displaced people from 171 families have returned to their native place in Mizoram from Tripura in the ninth phase of repatriation process that started from October 3 this year, officials said Monday.

Over 37,000 Bru people had taken shelter in Tripura in 1997 following an ethnic clash in Mizoram.

As many as 4,000 Bru families are currently settled in six camps with three each at Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub divisions of North district, around 200 kilometres from Agartala.

“A total 601 Bru people from 110 families settled in three camps of Kanchanpur have gone back to Mizoram in the ninth phase,” said sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Abhedananda Baidya.

Panisagar SDM L Darlong informed that 243 people from 61 families have gone back to Mizoram as per latest report during this period. “We will get the final report of ninth phase of repatriation on December 3,” she said.

The ninth phase of repatriation process ended on November 30.

Nearly 5,000 Brus were repatriated to Mizoram in eight phases since 2009.

Last month, chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah for permanent settlement of the Brus in the state.

In the meantime, the Brus floated new demand of resettling them at Dampa Sanctuary in Mizoram where they used to live till it was declared as tiger reserve in 1986.

As most of the Brus refused to return to Mizoram before beginning of the ninth phase, the Centre stopped their food supply along with cash dole since this October 1.

Brus claimed that six people died due to starvation though the local administration said the casualty figure was four.

In protest, the Bru refugees blocked Dasda and Anandabazar road at Kanchanpur for seven days from October 31. They lifted the stir after the Tripura government promised them ration till November 30.