"We are very upset": Newly settled Bru migrants respond to protests by locals in Tripura

Gomati ( Tripura) [India], April 3 : The newly settled Bru migrants of Groinang Para have vehemently condemned the protests by local people in Tirthamukh of the same district.
The Tripura government has allocated land for the rehabilitation of the last batch of Mizoram Bru refugees. These refugees were granted permanent settlement in Tripura through a Home Ministry-initiated quadripartite agreement in the Gomati district of Tripura signed in January 2020.
The protestors reportedly used "Saranarthi", a Bengali term that literally translates to "refugee" in English.
Coming down heavily on the protestors, Laldingliana Bru, who is a signatory of the quadripartite act signed between governments of Mizoram, Tripura, Centre, and Bru leaders, claimed that such kind of protest questioning their citizenship was uncalled for.
"We condemn such calls raised by the local people of the Tirthamukh area. For their kind information, we want to showcase our Aadhaar details, PRTC, and other documentary evidence that validates our citizenship in Tripura. We have been provided with MGNREGA job cards as well," the Bru leader pointed out.
Explaining the reason behind the protests, he said, "On March 29, 2024, some people from our settlement ventured out of the village on a motorcycle to fetch water for their families. Unfortunately, the motorcycle riders hit children playing on the roads. They tried to control the motorcycle but failed to avoid the accident in the Tirthamukh area. The injured children were shifted to Natunabazar Hospital immediately for treatment. But the locals kept gathering at the spot of occurrence and the situation turned highly volatile."
According to him, due to the timely intervention of the police, the tension was defused.
"Elders of our village were also informed about the incident. By the time, a delegation of our people reached there, we saw that things had worsened and people had started to raise slogans like 'Saranarthi go back'. The police took an active role and intercepted the vehicle that was used in the accident. In order to settle the misunderstanding among the Tirthamukh people, SDM convened a meeting but the local people refused to attend the meeting. We are very upset over these developments," he added.
Brus, also referred to as Reangs, are a tribal community indigenous to northeast India. They have historically resided in parts of Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam. In the state of Tripura, the Brus are a designated Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
While many Brus of Assam and Tripura are Hindu, the Brus of Mizoram converted to Christianity over the years.