Tripura: 1-Year-Old Bru Baby Succumbs to Hunger; Govt Imposes Section 144 to Curb Protests

Agartala, November 4, 2019:

A shocking photo has surfaced on social media which shows the deplorable condition of the Bru refugees living in Tripura refugee camps after the Government cut off free ration and cash doles to the Community.

The heart-breaking picture that is now being circulated in social media, shows the dead body of Akosa, a 1-year-old infant who allegedly breathed his last due to starvation on Sunday. In the frame, the unfortunate infant's mother Zoremi Moshoy, sits beside the body of her child and Zoremi's old mother lies next to the infant, apparently in a state of shock and grief.

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The family has claimed that Akosa died at Naisingpara Bru relief camp in North Tripura, due to shortage of food.

Meanwhile, the authorities have imposed section 144 of the CrPc because of "every possibility of public nuisance and disturbance of peace and tranquility." The Section 144 has been imposed from Dasda, Kambaltilla, to Hazacherra, Anandabazar, with effect from 12:30 pm on Monday.

As per the provisions of the Section 144 of the CrPc, public gatherings (of more than 5 persons) as well as weapons along the stretch of the road, have been banned.

The economically deprived Brus are fighting starvation and many have not seen a single single morsel in a week, a source told Inside Northeast. Moreover, the community, which is badly affected by poverty, has not yet had any of its demands fulfilled by the Government.

As a last resort, they have staged road blockades and demanded that free ration and cash doles be restored, but the Government remains unmoved.

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Meanwhile, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) has alleged that the people in the camps had died of “starvation” after the Centre “stopped providing free ration and cash dole” to the inmates of the relief camps from last month after the commencement of the ninth repatriation process on October 3.

The Centre has approved Rs 350 crore for the ninth phase of repatriation and the amount covers transportation and rehabilitation package expenses, which include Rs 5,000 per month for each resettled Bru family in Mizoram and free ration for them for two years.

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