ProMASS News
Agartala, September 10, 2019: Exclusion of more than 300 Bru families from list prepared after last Identification process seems to be a bothering issue for Bru leaders which may cast an impact on repatriation of Bru refugees. “Plan for repatriation in coming days will not be successful unless the issue of exclusion is being settled”, sources revealed on condition of anonymity.
With Central government firm on repatriation, according to sources, a new deadline for repatriation was set and the process will commence from October 1 next – however, no confirmation was available from SDM of Kanchanpur Abhedananda Baidya.
Meanwhile, leaders of MBDPF (organization of displaced Bru people) are holding meetings with relief camp inmates. Sources in relief camps revealed, during ‘identification’ process, around 350 Bru families were excluded. How can we move to Mizoram leaving behind 350 families – this is the silent question doing rounds in the camps, said sources close refugee camps. Brinha Masha and other leaders are also tight-lipped about repatriation and future of Bru refugees.
On this fateful day – September 10 in 1997 – as many as 37,000 Reang people left their ancestral home in Mizoram due to ethnic violence and crossed over to Tripura. These refugees were put up in six camps at Kanchanpur and Panisagar under North Tripura district. Later on, Government announced rehabilitation packages and accordingly, thousands of refugees were repatriated in seven phases – but citing lack of security, poor quality of life etc., repatriated refugees returned to relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar.
