By Neha Singh

Aizawl, Nov 3: For the first time, the Bru refugees will not be participating in the Mizoram elections 2023. This change is a result of a Central government-sponsored rehabilitation arrangement that took effect in January 2020, granting the Bru refugees permanent settlement in Tripura.

Before the implementation of the rehabilitation arrangement by the government in January 2020, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had established a special polling stations along the Tripura-Mizoram boundary to let the eligible displaced voters, particularly the Bru refugees, to cast their votes.

This year, in July, after the resettlement in Tripura, the names of more than 6,000 Bru voters from nine assembly constituencies in three districts -— Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei was deleted from the Mizoram voters’ list.

Who are the Brus?

The Brus, also known as Reangs, are an indigenous tribal community in northeast India. They have a historical presence in regions across Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam. In the state of Tripura, the Brus are officially recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). This recognition highlights their unique cultural identity and the need for special attention and support to protect their distinct way of life and address vulnerabilities within their community.

The Brus residing in Tripura have faced challenging and unfortunate situation, enduring over two decades of internal displacement. This displacement was a result of ethnic persecution, primarily stemming from the neighboring state of Mizoram.

Brus of Assam and Tripura are mostly Hindu, while the Brus of Mizoram have converted themeselved to Christianity over the years.

Most Brus who are residing in Tripura at present have face and suffered over two decades of internal displacement from Mizoram.

When did the trouble begin for the Brus?

It was in 1995 when the Young Mizo Association and the Mizo Students’ Association demanded the removal of Brus from Mizoram’s electoral rolls, citing that they were not indigenous inhabitants of the state.

Tensions escalated further when the Brus responded to the Mizos’ attempts to disenfranchise them and organized themselves into an armed group, the Bru National Liberation Front, and a political entity, the Bru National Union.

Following this, they also demanded creation of a separate Bru Autonomous District Council (ADC) in western Mizoram as per the provisions of the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Mizoram Polls 2023:

Mizoram will be voting on November 7 on 40 seats while the result will be announced on December 3.

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