BRU-REANG TRIBE- THE HINDU- 17-01-2020

Bru Tribe:

Bru (or Reang) tribals inhabit parts of Northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.

In Mizoram, they are largely restricted to Mamit and Kolasib.

Who are BRU Tribes?

In 1995, following a clash between Mizos and Brus, the Young Mizo Association and Mizo Students’ Association demanded that Brus be removed from the state’s electoral rolls, contending that the tribe was not indigenous to Mizoram.

This led to an armed movement led by the militant outfit Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF), and a political one by the Bru National Union (BNU). Many Bru villages were burnt down and scores allegedly raped and killed, which led to the displacement of 40,000 Bru people. A large number of Bru families fled to North Tripura. The first phase of repatriation started in November 2010, when 1,622 Bru families with 8,573 members were resettled in Mizoram. The process was stalled in 2011, 2012 and 2015 amid protests by Mizo NGOs. Brus settled in Tripura also expressed fears for their security in Mizoram.

Details:

Due to ethnic tensions in Mizoram, around 34,000 people were forced to live in sub-human conditions in tents in Tripura.

No solution could be reached all these years. In 2018, an agreement was signed and a package was sanctioned, but many people did not want to go back to Mizoram.
Only 328 families moved back.

Due to the initiative by Prime Minister, negotiations were started afresh. The displaced people will now be settled in Tripura permanently.
The Ministry of Home Affairs brought the stakeholders to the talks in 2015, and a financial package of Rs. 435 crore was arrived at.
The package covers 32,876 members of 5,407 Bru families. It included a one-time assistance of Rs. 4 lakh in a fixed deposit within a month of repatriation, monthly assistance of Rs. 5,000 through direct benefit transfer, free rations for two years, and finally, Rs. 1.5 lakh in three instalments for building houses.