More than 30,000 Reang refugees from Mizoram, stranded in six camps in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur sub-division, have become a major liability for the local administration since October 15, 1997, following ethnic violence in Mizoram.

Yesterday, an entire village in Kashiram para was looted and 17 of 30 houses set ablaze by refugees. Following the attack, all the tribal and non-tribal residents of Kashiram para village fled their homes. The district magistrate (North) Sandip Mahatre and deputy inspector-general of police (Northern range) Kshatrajay Reang, have been camping in the area with the police force. No arrests have been made so far even though the attacks took place in front of police.

Kanchanpur sub-divisional magistrate Nantu Ranjan Das said on May 7, Bahuram Reang, 32, a refugee-resident of Naisingpara camp, had visited Mrinmoy Sarkar, 53, in nearby Kashiram para village and started fishing in his pond without permission. He was caught and roughed up by locals, including Sarkar.

“Bahuram had complained of pain on May 10 and was taken to Kanchanapur hospital by his father. He was treated there and was better for the next four days. Yesterday, when he was scheduled to be discharged from hospital, Bahuram was found missing. He was later found hanging from a tree, close to the morgue of the hospital,” said Das. When Bahuram’s body was brought to the camp, there was tension and the inmates of Naisingpara, Asha para and two other camps proceeded to attack Kashiram para village. Sensing trouble, police rushed to the spot while the residents of Kashiram para village fled to the nearby jungle#.

The irate inmates of the refugee camps set 17 of more than 30 households in Kashiram para on fire besides going on a looting spree. Cattle, goats, vegetables, fruits and all movable properties belonging to the residents of the village were looted in front of police who only fired two tear-gas shells to scare away the refugees. Shortly after receiving information, DIG Reang and Mahatre rushed to the spot but by that time, the destruction was complete. Later inspector-general (law and order) Anurag Dhankar and additional director-general of police Shyam Sundar Chaturvedi, also reached the affected area by helicopter. They immediately ordered reinforcements to maintain law and order. The superintendent of police (North) Manik Lal Das said police could not prevent the destruction because they were “too few to counter the large number of refugees”.

“Apart from committing crimes, the inmates work at cheaper rates and thus local workers suffer. Large tracts of forest land has been destroyed by them and in many cases, government land, set aside for the rehabilitation of jhumias (tribal shifting cultivators) have been encroached by the refugees,” Das said.

He said initially there were 35,000 refugees in the camps but in a number of phases, especially before the elections in Mizoram, more than 6,000 had returned home.

“This is essentially a political issue, which has to be settled at a political level by the leaders of the two states. We can only try to maintain law and order,” Das added.

 

 

 

source:telegraph