Re-settled Bru migrants cast their vote the first time in Tripura

Thousands of the Bru tribal people have been living in relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions since 1997. They had fled Mizoram to reach the neighbouring state because of ethnic clashes.

After the Bru Migrants from Mizoram were resettled in the State of Tripura, they exercised their right to vote for the first time the ongoing Assembly elections. The migrants came out in large numbers at the Haduklaupara polling booth in 47 Ambassa Assembly Constituency in Tripura's Dhalai district, the Election Commission said.

The Bru, also known as Reang, are an ethnic minority group living in northeast India, primarily in the states of Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam. In the late 1990s, ethnic tensions between the Bru and other communities in Mizoram led to a violent conflict, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands of Bru people.

The Election Commission shared photos of the migrants voting for the first time in Tripura.

Meanwhile, a total of 69.96 per cent of 28.13 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the Tripura assembly elections till 3 pm on Thursday, with the polling process largely being peaceful, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said. The exercise began at 7 am and is scheduled to continue till 4 pm.

The northeastern state, where top leaders had stepped up their electoral spadework over the past few days, is witnessing a triangular fight this time, with the BJP-IPFT coalition seeking to retain supremacy, the Left-Congress combine looking to wrest power, and regional outfit Tipra Motha making its debut at the hustings after its stunning performance in the autonomous council polls.

The BJP-IPFT alliance, which had won 18 of 20 seats in the tribal areas last elections, however, is facing a tough challenge this time from the Tipra Motha, headed by erstwhile royal scion Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, given that the regional outfit had made a big splash in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls two years ago, bagging 18 of the 30 seats.

The BJP is contesting 55 assembly seats, and its ally IPFT has fielded candidates in six constituencies. The two parties will be having a friendly fight in one seat. The Left Front is contesting 47 seats and the Congress 13 constituencies. The TMC has fielded nominees in 28 constituencies. Apart from that, there are 58 independent aspirants in the fray. Votes will be counted on March 2.

Bru refugees' resettlement in Tripura

The rehabilitation of the Bru community people started on April 20, 2021 following an agreement signed in January 2020 among representatives of the community, the Centre, and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram. Earlier it was decided that all the 37,000 internally displaced Bru tribal people who are living in relief camps in Tripura for years will be rehabilitated permanently within the state by March 31, 2022.

Thousands of the Bru tribal people have been living in relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions since 1997. They had fled Mizoram to reach the neighbouring state because of ethnic clashes.

According to the January 2020 agreement, each rehabilitated Bru family will get a 1200 square feet plot to build a house with an amount of Rs 1.5 lakh provided by the government. The agreement also guarantees a fixed deposit of Rs 4 lakh for each family, a monthly sum of Rs 5,000, free monthly ration for two years, and schools in all cluster villages. Once the resettlement is completed, Bru families will become permanent residents of Tripura and will be eligible to vote in the state, it said.

The vexed Bru issue started in September 1997, following demands of a separate autonomous district council for the community by carving out areas of western Mizoram adjoining Bangladesh and Tripura. A large number of Bru people fled from Mizoram to Tripura as ethnic clashes broke out.

The situation was aggravated by the murder of a forest guard in the Dampa Tiger Reserve in western Mizoram by Bru National Liberation Front insurgents on October 21 that year and another round of exodus followed.

The Centre, along with the governments of Tripura and Mizoram, had tried several times to repatriate them to their home state, with little success. The first attempt to repatriate the Brus from Tripura was made in November 2009 and the last one in 2019.

Many Bru families had refused to return to Mizoram, citing security concerns and inadequate rehabilitation packages. Some others had also sought a separate autonomous council for the community. However, the January 2020 agreement allowed these tribal people to permanently settle in Tripura.