The settlement of Mizoram displaced Brus in Tripura who have been residing in six different camps in the northern parts of the state has continued to tense the situation and became difficult for the Tripura government to execute the plan.
In the midst of government exercise to look for required land for settling the Bru families and carry out census to ascertain the figure of Brus, Mizo Convention of Jampui Hill in North Tripura has announced their opposition to any resettlement of the Brus in not only Jampui Hills but also its adjoining areas.
Earlier, civil society organisations of non-tribal people in Kanchanpur had opposed the decision of Bru rehabilitation in Tripura and raised the demand of equal package and assistance from the centre, which they offered for displaced Bru families.
Both Mizos living in Jampui hill and non-tribals believed that it would have serious demographic imbalance and to trigger communal conflict.
“It is advisable the two communities do not live together in Jampui Hill area including Langkaih (Longai) valley and the whole Kanchanpur Sub-Division. Chances are that communal issues of the two communities happening in neighbouring Mizoram shall affect Tripura and true shall be the case reciprocally,” Mizo Convention president David Ralte and general secretary Zairemthiama Pachuau said in a statement.
The Mizo Convention has welcomed the agreement but it has also made its points clear – that the resettlement of the Brus near the Mizos should not be done since neighbouring Mizoram state still has a huge Bru population, and they will remain to be there so. Looking back to the historical aspect of the relationship and social interactions of Mizo and Bru communities, the Mizos of Tripura added that Brus should not be settled in places adjoining to their traditional locations.
Mizo Convention has demanded that ‘the traditional settlement areas and jhum lands of the Mizos of Jampui Hill and that of all the people belonging to the Zo group (Kuki-Halam-Lusei) are not negatively impacted by the Mizoram Bru settlement.
The Convention was categorical in its demand: “It is our utmost want and aspiration that our Mizo traditional areas and boundaries are respected and remain untouched during the Mizoram Bru settlement process and added that failure to heed this plea of ours shall result in serious demographic imbalance and communal conflict of huge magnitude.
