Updated: November 22, 2020 9:46:16 pm
North Tripura: A vehicle on fire during a protest by the Joint Movement Committee (JMC) against the resettlement of displaced Bru migrants in the Kanchanpur subdivision of Panisagar, North Tripura district, on Saturday, November 21, 2020 (PTI ).
The situation in the Kanchanpur and Panisagar areas of Tripura remains tense after protests against the planned resettlement of thousands of Bru migrants permanently in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision turned violent on Saturday. At least one person was killed in police shooting, while there were 15 policemen among the other 23 injured. A Fire Service personnel, who suffered serious head injuries, later died in a hospital in Agartala.
Why have there been violent protests in northern Tripura?
Twenty-three years after ethnic clashes in Mizoram forced 37,000 people from the Bru (or Reang) community to flee their homes to neighboring Tripura, an agreement was signed in January this year to allow 32,000 of those who remained in the fields will be permanently installed in state. However, the news was not well received by the Bengali and Mizo communities in Tripura, who claim that the permanent settlement of thousands of migrants in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision would lead to a demographic imbalance, put pressure on local resources and potentially lead to to laws and order problems.
A total of 23 people, including police officers, were injured after the protest turned violent. (Express photo)
The protests that began with memos, rallies and press conferences from a newly formed organization called Nagarik Suraksha Mancha soon erupted into a full-blown public order situation, with protesters blocking National Highway 08 and engaging in violent clashes with state police. Mizo Convention, a local ethnic organization, partnered with Mancha to create a platform called the Joint Movement Committee (JMC) and proclaimed that no more than 1,500 Bru families could settle in Kanchanpur.
Over the past 10 months, the state has planned 12 resettlement sites in six districts of Tripura with 300 families each. Six of these locations were proposed to be set up in the Kanchanpur subdivision alone, a move opposed by the JMC. Following a series of unrest, an indefinite strike has taken place in Kanchanpur since Monday, sparking violent clashes with police in the adjoining Panisagar subdivision on Saturday, which has left two dead.
Against what does the JMC protest?
The convener of the Joint Movement Committee, Sushanta Baruah, said the unrest was started to save the ‘ancestral lands’ of the Bru migrants, as the government planned to settle 5,000 migrant families in Kanchanpur instead of 1,500, as claimed by the local administration a month ago.
Several vehicles also caught fire. (Express photo)
“Although we oppose the idea of having more people permanently settled within the limited resources of the area, we comply with the agreement signed by the central and state governments and we agree to it. But now the district administration has proposed to establish six of the 12 resettlement sites in Kanchanpur alone and settle 5,000 migrant families here, ”said Baruah, adding that the process would lead to an undeniable demographic imbalance. Baruah also alleged that 650 Bengali families from around Kanchanpur and 81 Mizo families from the Jampui Hill range who fled due to ‘atrocities’ perpetrated by Brus had not yet been resettled two decades later.
What is the government’s position?
Kanchanpur Subdivision Magistrate Chandni Chandran denied having received a political decision on the settlement of 5,000 migrant families within her jurisdiction. The selection of resettlement families is still in progress and no figure can be pinpointed right now, he told indianexpress.com.
However, a letter from North Tripura district magistrate Nagesh Kumar B. to the special duty officer of the state Revenue Department on October 28 says that the district administration had estimated Rs. A fund of Rs 137.46 million is required for the permanent settlement of 6,000 Bru migrants in the district. A breakdown of the figures shows that an estimated 5,000 Bru families were resettled in six locations that are in the Kanchanpur subdivision. 📣 Click to follow Express Explained on Telegram
How have the Brus reacted?
The secretary general of the Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF), Bruno Msha, said the JMC turmoil has left migrants with fear and uncertainty in the camps. “We are suffering an economic blockade due to this movement. This month we have also not received food grains according to our aid package, and if this strike continues, we do not know how long we can hold out. There is also palpable fear everywhere, ”he said, urging the government to take the necessary measures to guarantee law and order in the area.
What is the original resettlement plan?
In accordance with the four corners agreement to resettle them in Tripura, the central government announced a special development project with funding of Rs 600 million. It is estimated that each resettled family receives 0.03 acres (1.5 ganda) of land to build a house, Rs 1.5 lakh as housing assistance and Rs 4 lakh as one-time cash benefit for livelihood , monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 and free rations for two years from the date of resettlement.
Who are the Brus?
The Bru or Reang are an indigenous community from northeast India, living mainly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognized as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG). More than two decades ago, they were targeted by the Mizo Youth Association (YMA), the Mizo Zirwlai Pawl (MZP) and some ethnic Mizoram social organizations who demanded that the Bru be excluded from the electoral registers in the state. In October 1997, following ethnic clashes, almost 37,000 Bru fled the Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram to Tripura, where they were refugees in relief camps. Since then, more than 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in nine phases of repatriation, while 32,000 people still live in six relief camps in northern Tripura.
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