Bru resettlement row: Tripura royal scion threatens mass movement if police fail to arrest Biswajit’s ‘murderers’ within a week

AGARTALA

Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman on Wednesday threatened to launch a mass movement across the state if the police cannot arrest the culprits involved in the ‘murder’ of a fire service employee, Biswajit Debbarma, within one week.

40-year-old Debbarma was a victim of a clash between security personnel and anti-Bru protestors at Panisagar in North Tripura recently.

Addressing the media at Ujjayanta Palace, Deb Barman, who is also the chairman of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), rued that even after more than a week has passed, the police have not yet arrested anyone.

The TIPRA chairman said that he has already rallied his supporters and will organise several agitation programmes across the state if the police cannot meet the deadline.

It may be recalled that the Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarma had, on Monday, held a meeting with the Bru/Reang leaders where Deb Barman was also present as a mediator.

The royal scion informed that TIPRA had earlier donated ₹ 50,000 to the family of Biswajit Debbarma, and another ₹ 50,000 will be handed to the family on Thursday.

Training his guns at the government, Deb Barman blamed the BJP-led government in Tripura for its “inability” to handle the Bru resettlement issue and the ensuing of law and order situation in the state.

“All these things happened because of the government’s failure. Now the government is silent,” he said.

During the clash, a person identified as 47-year-old Srikanth Das was killed after Tripura State Rifles (TSR) police allegedly opened fire at the protestors on November 21.

WHAT IS THE COMMOTION ALL ABOUT?

The Joint Movement Committee (JMC), a platform of Bengalis and Mizos of Kanchanpur Subdivision in Tripura, is opposing the decision of the state government to rehabilitate the displaced Reang/Bru people in Kanchanpur subdivision stating that this would impact the geographical and ecological balance of the area.

Over the past couple of weeks, the JMC had organised several protests and agitation programmes like bandhs, blockades and others.

The November 21 clash was the outcome of a national highway blockade at Chamtila in Panisagar sub-division, which turned violent.

WHO ARE THE BRUS?

They are a tribal community living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. After an ethnic clash in 1997, the Bru people fled to Mizoram and took shelter in North Tripura.

After rounds of talks between the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram governments, it was decided that the Brus will be resettled in Tripura.

The Centre announced a package of ₹ 600 crore for the settlement of these Bru refugees.