E-Paper
Amid road blockade by Bru refugees in Tripura two die in refugee camps
A government official said the infant and an old woman died of “unknown diseases” but Bru refugees say hunger took their lives.
An infant and an old woman died of “unknown disease” in two camps of Bru refugees in Tripura on Thursday, officials said on Friday.
The casualties took place even as the Brus continued an indefinite road blockade at Kanchanpur in Tripura’s north district .
The Brus started the road blockade movement from October 31 for an indefinite period demanding that the Centre resume their ration, cash allowances that was stopped on October 1. The ration supplies were stopped two days before the beginning of ninth phase of repatriation to Mizoram on October 3.
The refugees have blocked the road between Dasda and Anandabazar in Kanchanpur but no untoward incident has been reported yet.
Kanchanpur Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Abhedananda Baidya confirmed the two deaths and said they died due to “unknown diseases”.
“The three-month old infant was taken to Dasda Primary Health Centre on Thursday where he died. According to doctors, he died due to an unknown disease. An old woman also died of unknown disease Thursday night day,” said Baidya on Friday.
The refugees say starvation was the main cause behind the two deaths.
“Two deaths happened in the camps after the food supplies along and were stopped since past one month. As the ration is stopped, the baby’s mother could not feed him milk. They didn’t have money even to procure medicines for the baby. Similarly, an old woman also died in the camp yesterday. We feel, hunger is the cause of their deaths,” said Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples’ Forum (MBDPF) general secretary Bruno Msha.
According to the central rehabilitation package, Bru adults are given Rs. 5 per day, Rs. 2.5 for each minor, 600 gram of rice on everyday basis, three soaps, a pair of slippers a year and a mosquito net in every three years.
Over 37,000 Bru people had taken shelter in Tripura in 1997 to escape an ethnic clash in Mizoram. Currently, nearly 4,000 Bru families are settled in six camps - three each at Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub divisions of North district.
