Joint Movement Committee ends strike against Bru resettlement in North Tripura

AGARTALA: After a shutdown of eight days that saw serious law and order breakdown claiming two innocent lives, Kanchanpur's Joint Movement Committee (JMC) on Tuesday called off its strike after a verbal assurance of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's appointment.

The Chief Minister had agreed to meet the JMC leaders who wanted not to allow more than 500 families of Bru refugees in the Kanchanpur sub-division against the government's decision of settling about 5,000 families there.

The Chief Minister will meet the JMC leaders to hear their concerns, sources informed.

JMC Chairman Dr Zairemthiama Pachuau, while declaring their decision to life the strike, said: "I am happy to announce that our the indefinite strike that was called by us is being called off on its 8th day. The reason behind this decison is the successful talks and negotiations with the government".

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Local BJP MLA Bhagaban Das on Monday partook in a marathon meeting with the agitating JMC activists of Kanchanpur as an emissary of the state government.

Sources said, heavyweight BJP leaders of North Tripura that include minister Santana Chakma, and Deputy Speaker Biswbandhu Sen were supposed to meet the JMC leaders at Kanchanpur but due to some unknown reasons they did cancel their trip.

According to JMC leaders, both leaders got stuck in urgent party affairs and they might visit Kanchanpur soon to sit on the table of dialogue.

The refugees are now staying at 6 relief camps located in Kanchanpur and Panisagar after they fled their homeland Mizoram in 1997 following ethnic clashes.

The Nagarik Surakhsa Mancha and Mizo Convention united as the Joint Movement Committee in order to oppose the Tripura government's decision to resettle the Bru refugees in Tripura.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Tuesday finally broke his silence on the ongoing protests in Kanchanpur and urge citizens "to reject the propaganda being intentionally spread to divide people along communal lines."

The Chief Minister, addressing media, said: "Some people for their personal, political gain fuel negative sentiments but such practices should be foiled by the people of Tripura".

While executing the Bru pact, both the parties the Brus, the Nagarik Surakhsa Mancha will be surely asked to meet up for a dialogue.

He also referred to the recent clarification issued by the revenue department and mantained that Kanchanpur was not the only place where the Brus would be settled. They would be settled a across the six districts.

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