Seventeen Bru refugee families living in relief camps in Tripura are likely to return to Mizoram tomorrow after the deadline for their repatriation expired Tuesday evening.
Since August 25 this year, 24 Bru refugee families have returned to Mizoram as part of the repatriation agreement between Government of India, state governments of Mizoram, Tripura and Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF), a coordination committee of the displaced Brus here.
The deadline for repatriation expired this evening with over 32,700 Bru refugees still sheltered in Tripura.
Officials claimed that 17 refugee families would return to Mizoram from Khakchang relief camp in Panisagar sub-division of Tripura’s north district tomorrow. However, there is no report of official extension of the repatriation deadline.
“We have been informed that 17 Bru refugee families will return to Mizoram tomorrow. We have maintained proper security and have arranged vehicles for their transportation,” North Tripura Superintendent of Police Bhanupada Chakraborty told indianexpress.com.
The official said he wasn’t aware of any deadline extension order. He said his duties were to arrange security and facilitate the repatriation process.
Reacting to the issue, MBDPF president Apeto Sawibunga, who signed the agreement with the central government on July 3 this year, said that he is aware that few refugee families would return to Mizoram tomorrow but didn’t have further details.
“We are not given any detail of their return”, Sawibunga said.
MBDPF faced anger among the Bru refugees over the repatriation agreement and a new organization, Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Coordination Committee (MBDPCC), was formed in July. MBDPCC president L. Laldinliana today evening said that there is no report of extending deadline for repatriation. He claimed not more than 24 families have returned officially under repatriation package so far.
Over 37 thousand Bru refugees fled Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram during ethnic clashes in 1997. They were sheltered in makeshift relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions of North Tripura district.
Till date, 3,585 refugees from 701 families went back to Mizoram in seven phases. However, a few of them came back complaining about the living standards.