757 Bru militant to surrender in Mizoram

Aizawl, Oct 22: At least 757 rebels of the banned Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BNLF), based in bordering part of Tripura, will surrender to the Mizoram government soon.

Police said here today that the surrendered rebels would be repatriated from Tripura to Tuipuibari in Mizoram on October 27.

The state government would give each surrendered rebel Rs 40,000, compensation for surrendered weapons, free ration for one year and transit-camp accommodation till they become self-reliant.

The state government would take steps to pardon the surrendered rebels and get their police cases cleared, police said.

State police CID sources said before surrendering, the BNLF has been putting pressure on the state government to accept them as "surrendered rebels". However, the government did not accept the proposal.

Police sources said some Bru leaders have recruited Bru youths from the Kanchanpur and Tripura refugee camps with the promise that if they surrender to the state government, they would receive rehabilitation packages worth thousands of rupees. However, police believe the BNLF did not have more than 100 cadres.

UNI