The issue of Bru Reang refugee rehabilitation in North Tripura district is snowballing into a major concern. While, Nagarik Surakhsha Manch and several Tripura based Mizo bodies are vehemently opposing Government’s plan for mass rehabilitation of Bru refugees in Kanchanpur, the Ranglong Youth Association (RYA) in Dharmanagar has also voiced resentment over decision to resettle migrated Bru refugees at Laxminagar Mouja, Churaibari Tehsil under Kalacherra R.D. Block, Dharmanagar Sub-Division.
Notably, Bru Reang people fled adjoining their native place in Mizoram 23 years ago following ethnic strife and took shelter in relief camps in North Tripura. An agreement was signed in January this year, in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to end the 23-year-old crisis by rehabilitating over 34,000 refugees, from 5,400 families, of the Reang community, locally called “Bru”, in different places of Tripura, including Kanchanpur and other palces in North Tripura, where they had migrated in 1997 from Mizoram following ethnic conflict.
As the State Government has decided mass resettlement in Kanchanpur ignoring appeals by Nagarik Surakhsha Manch and Mizo organization, Kanchanpur recently observed a 12-hour bandh in protest against the Government decision. In the similar way, Ranglong people too hit street on Thursday protesting Government decision to rehabilitate Bru refugees in Ranglong dominated areas in North Tripura.
People of Ranglong community held protests at Kherenjhuri, Balichhara, Noagang and Laxminagar Mouja on Thursday. Sources said, Senior DCM Surjya Debbarma went to the Ranglong dominated hamlets for surveying land relating to proposed rehabilitation. However, in the face of opposition by the local Ranglong people, the DCM had to abandon the survey works.
Notably, protesting against the proposed resettlement of Bru refugees, a communication had already been made with the Office of the District Magistrate and Collector, North Tripura on July 9 last. In addition, the Ranglong Youth Association (RYA) has been making several communications for many years with the Office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Panisagar Sub-Division, Office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dharmanagar, Sub-Division and the Office of the District Magistrate and Collector, North Tripura.
However, as the DCM went today in the village for surveying, venting anger at the Government’s decision to provide resettlement of 1000 Bru families, community members said, Laxminagar is the ancestral land of the Ranglong Community. As a forest dweller, the Ranglong is fully dependent on forest for jhum cultivation and their livelihood is fully dependent on forest produces.
Ranglong people clearly mentioned that they are opposing rehabilitation because of acute geographical constraint. It is completely impossible to spare land for settlement of any other community within the said locality. Justifying their claim, Ranglong people said, the present inhabited areas of the Ranglong Community is tightly circumscribed by NH 08 in the western part and Tripura-Assam inter-state boundary in the eastern part and hence, there is no scope for further extension of their inhabited areas even by one inch. “So, we vehemently value and honour our inhabited areas as a community’s property. Any form of sudden mass settlement by any outside community in these areas, shall be taken by the Ranglong Community as an attempt to take away the community’s property and it will be accordingly defended and protected by the community at any cost”, Ranglong people commented.
In view of the ground realities, the movement to protect our ancestral land will continue. We will never be compromise and allow mass settlement of any other community – irrespective of caste and creed within our protected ancestral land. The land will accordingly be defended and protected by our community at any cost, agitating Ranglong people said.
