The indefinite strike in Kanchanpur in north Tripura against the rehabilitation of the Mizoram Bru refugees continued for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday. Around 80 non-tribal families took shelter in a school as strike caused tension in some interior hamlets.
Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman announced that the State government is ready to hold discussion with the protesters. “The Brus cannot be considered as refugees. They are citizens of the country,” he said indicating the government is unlikely to alter the rehabilitation programme.
He blamed the previous governments for not resolving the settlement matter. He credited his government and the NDA government at the Centre with finding a permanent solution to the stalemate.
The Joint Movement Committee (JMC) imposed the indefinite strike to protest against the State government’s plan to settle 5,000 Bru evacuees in Kanchanpur. The government selected 12 places spread over six districts to rehabilitate some 35,000 Mizoram Brus currently housed in six makeshift camps in Kanchanpur.
In January, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over signing of a quadripartite accord by the MHA with the State governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the leaders of the refugees to permanently settle evacuees in Tripura ending the 23-year imbroglio. The refugee leaders recently met Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar to request him implementation of the accord which offered lucrative rehabilitation package to them.
Police said the strike and protest rallies have remained peaceful so far. However, around 80 non-tribal families took shelter at the Durgarampara high school after a man was critically wounded after some Bru youths allegedly attacked him with sharp cutting weapons.
Besides protesting the proposed rehabilitation of the Brus, the JMC is also demanding compensation for the non-tribal families who had been evicted to set up camps for the Brus evacuated from Mizoram in 1997.
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