Bru leaders urge Amit Shah to intervene as hunger strike highlights unfulfilled rehabilitation promises

In an appeal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, six senior leaders of the resettled Bru community in Tripura have demanded urgent action on long-pending issues of food security, land rights, and access to welfare schemes.

The plea, submitted through the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kanchanpur in North Tripura, comes amid an indefinite hunger strike by Zothanga Bru, a community member protesting the government’s alleged failure to deliver on promises made under the 2020 Quadripartite Bru Agreement.

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The letter, signed by prominent Bru leaders including A. Sawibunga, Bruno Msha, Philip Apeto, Vipin Kumar Reang, and T. Lal Dingliana Bru—all of whom were signatories to the 2020 agreement—reflects growing frustration within the community.

These leaders represent thousands of families who were displaced over two decades ago and are now living across 13 resettlement locations in Tripura.

In their appeal, the leaders described the prevailing situation as “distressing and uncertain,” citing the slow pace of rehabilitation and a lack of access to essential services such as food, education, and healthcare.

They called for full implementation of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for all resettled families and requested an additional 5 kg of foodgrain per person per month to bridge nutrition gaps. Legal ownership of housing plots, allocation of agricultural land, and introduction of targeted development schemes were among other key demands.

While over 6,900 families have been permanently resettled since the 2020 agreement, the letter highlights the plight of approximately 320 families—including left-out and split groups in camps like Naisingpara and Ashapara—who still lack access to basic services despite holding valid documentation.

The community leaders expressed concern that these families are losing hope for a better future, and warned that the continued delay in rehabilitation risks deepening their marginalization.

Healthcare and education are also major concerns. The letter called on the Centre to provide institutional support to ensure access to schools and health services across all resettlement sites. Many families, they noted, are living in conditions that make it nearly impossible for children to attend school or receive timely medical care.

The Bru displacement crisis began in October 1997, when ethnic violence in western Mizoram forced thousands of Bru (Reang) families to flee to neighbouring Tripura. For years, they lived in relief camps in the Kanchanpur subdivision. Despite several attempts at repatriation, including a 2018 agreement involving the Centre and the state governments of Tripura and Mizoram, meaningful rehabilitation remained elusive for many.

It was only in January 2020 that a significant breakthrough came with the signing of a Quadripartite Agreement, which allowed displaced Bru families to settle permanently in Tripura. The agreement included promises of housing, livelihood support, and access to essential services. However, five years on, many of those promises remain unmet.

“We humbly request your esteemed office to prioritise our demands,” the leaders wrote in their letter to Amit Shah. “We hope for your timely response and decisive action that will demonstrate the government’s commitment to justice, dignity, and the rights of every citizen.”