Tripura outfit calls off anti-Bru protest, CM says refugees to be settled through mutual consent

Agartala (Tripura) [India], November 25 : As the government invited the leaders of the Joint Movement Committee (JMC), which was leading the protest against the settlement of the Bru refugees in Tripura, to discuss their demands, the latter called off its indefinite strike in Kanchanpur subdivision of North Tripura district after nine days on Tuesday.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday announced that the settlement of Bru refugees from Mizoram will be done through mutual consent of the local population and the displaced.
Following this, JMC leaders held a meeting with Deb and other ministers over the issue.
Deb, however, alleged that a rumour is being spread that the entire displaced Bru population is going to be settled in the Kanchanpur subdivision.
"The settlement of the displaced Bru people in Tripura will be done only after the mutual consent of both the local population and those to be settled. Nothing is hidden and the government is willing to take everyone's view but a rumour has been spread that the entire displaced Bru population is going to be settled in the Kanchanpur subdivision," the chief minister said.
Deb added that the government has already released its plan to distribute the population in six districts across the state but "a section is misleading the people".
He appealed to the people of the state not to be victims of the rumours, rather be patient and see what the government is doing.
"Tripura has earlier witnessed the wrath of communal violence and such rumours may be part of some conspiracy by some individuals or a political party to flare up tension," he said.
The decision of the JMC to call off the stir was announced by its convenor Sushanta Bikash Barua in the morning, after which the leaders also had a long discussion with Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Barma in his secretariat chamber in presence of Law and Education Minister Ratanlal Nath, Agriculture and Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, MLA Bhagaban Das.
"The talks were successful and they have committed that the resettlement will take place only after a discussion with them. We are satisfied but if the words are not kept, we will again go for an indefinite strike in the subdivision," JMC convener Barua told ANI after the meeting.
Two persons, including a fire service employee, have died and 32 injured in the violence at Panisagar and Kanchanpur in North Tripura during the anti-Bru agitation.

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