Bru repatriation halted after protests over woman’s murder
AGARTALA: The ongoing repatriation of over 4,000 displaced Bru tribal families currently settled in Tripura came to a halt on Monday following a protest by a group of women demanding justice for a Bru woman who was allegedly burnt to death in Mizoram, officials said.
As many a s 5 1 f a mil i e s returned to their home in Mizoram on October 3, in fresh efforts for their repatriation.
But on Monday, the women in all the six relief camps staged protest, demanding capital punishment for the culprit who killed the Bru woman on October 5. The victim was married to a Mizo man. “We want justice for her. The Bru refugees need to be ensured proper security after repatriation to Mizoram,” said Asonti Reang, a protester.
The protest was later called off after a meeting between the officials from district administration and Bru leaders at noon. However, the families refused to join the repatriation process.
“The protest started in the morning. After a meeting, they have withdrawn the protest. But till early afternoon, no one has taken part in Monday’s repatriation,” said Abhedananda Baidya, Kanchanpur sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) .
Around 32,000 Bru tribals had been displaced after ethnic clashes in 1997 in Mizoram following the murder of a forest guard in Mamit district. There have been several attempts to repatriate them and reportedly, only over 1,600 families have gone back since 2010.
According to the central rehabilitation package, each Bru adult is given ~5 per day, [~2.5 for a minor], and 600 gram of rice on a daily basis, three soaps and a pair of slippers a year, and a mosquito net in every three years.
After more than two decades, the Centre had signed a pact with Tripura and Mizoram governments as well as Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) in Delhi on July 3 last year for repatriation of the Bru tribals settled in Tripura.
As per the agreement, the Centre promised to provide ~4 lakh to each repatriated family by way of a fixed deposit, ~1.5 lakh as housing assistance and ~5,000 per month and free ration for two years. The Centre also claimed then it would close the refugee camps by September 25, 2018, the then deadline for repatriation.
Bruno Msha, secretary of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum, which signed the July 2018 agreement, said last month that it was difficult to convince people to go back. “We have minimum demands. If these are not accepted how can we convince our people,” he had said.