/ 0
The fresh tripartite agreement in response to Tripura government for settling 34000 odd displaced Brus in Tripura who had fled from western parts of Mizoram in 1997 turned the situation hostile. When Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) made tribals unhappy apprehending it an attempt to increase the population of non-tribals in the state, announcement of Bru settlement shut down anti-CAA revellers. However, the decision to settle Brus in Tripura has encouraged the creation of ethnocentrism in Northeast and it set a bad precedent in the country to sponsor displaced people from one state to other following communal pressure. Moreover, it indicated a clear sign of conflicts between the Brus and indigenous communities both tribal and non-tribals of Tripura. The Mizo people have been objecting Bru settlement in their homeland and despite at least 21 attempts of centre, Tripura and Mizoram government could not succeed the mission.
Instead of ensuring security, political rights and better livelihood in Bru’s homeland, BJP government has succumbed to the pressure of ethnic politics. The decision apparently made displaced Brus happy but did not ensure their political rights in democratic system. Brus were demanding separate ADC for them in Mizoram, as one of the important component of their repatriation, which was vehemently opposed by Mizoram government. But in the settlement agreement in Tripura neither Brus demanded separate ADC or a reserved seat in assembly nor the government offered them anything else except the right to stay like an ordinary citizen. Yet, it’s the victory of Mizos against Brus but the settlement agreement indicated a permanent trouble for Tripura and its citizens in coming days.
Soon after the announcement of the decision of Bru settlement in Tripura, as citizens forum of non-tribals Nagarik Suraksha Mancha (NSM) has launched massive agitation to press for their 12 –point charter of demands including pushing back Brus living in the camps of Kanchanpur and Panisagar to their homeland Mizoram and ensure the settlement of non-tribals with similar package who were displaced due to violence and perpetration of Brus in last 20 years in their homeland here.
The NSM became hostile on BJP led government at the centre and Tripura and accused them of ‘anti-Bengali’. The NSM leaders alleged that BJP government most illegally decided government sponsored settlement of Brus in other state because Brus did not want to go back home. Mizo community was not accepted by them because of previous criminal records of Brus despite both the communities belong to tribal but Tripura government without thinking the future implications of non-tribals whimsically accepted them here, said NSM leaders.
“The Bangalis are the biggest victim of partisan and subsequent socio-political development in India. Thousands of Bangalis had to leave their huge properties because of religious persecution. They have been marginalizing in West Bengal due to pressure from Hindi speaking communities. In Assam, Bangalis are suffering because of language and in Tripura Bangalis are facing crisis due to baseless arguments of a section of tribal leaders. Unfortunately, Biplab Kumar Deb led government here has fallen prey into it,” said a senior leader of NSM Bhaskar Sharma.
The NSM held a massive rally in Dasda Durga Reang Para on 124th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra where representatives of Rastriya Satkatha Samaj and Bangla Pakshya Kolkata addressed the gathering calling upon the government to reconsider the decision and help the indigenous non-tribals with decent package like Brus who had been victim of Bru perpetration and tribal insurgency over past three decades.
The NSM President Ranjit Nath alleged that in the recent strike called by Joint movement committee of Bru displaced, altogether 92 non-tribal families have been displaced. Houses were ransacked; properties were set on fire and cattle were hijacked. Earlier, also in several occasion more than 6000 families of Kanchanpur and Panisagar were victim of Brus attack but nothing was compensated yet.
Biswendu Bhattacharjee
To read the further articles please get your copy of Eastern Panorama February issue @http://www.magzter.com/IN/Hill-Publications/Eastern-Panorama/News/ or mail to contact @easternpanorama.in
