Total Bru Refugee Population Stands at 31,703

Aizawl, Aug 16 : The total number of Bru refugees, lodged at six relief camps in Tripura, stands at 31,703, according to a resurvey of their population conducted this month by the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF).

"The population of the ones who had left Mizoram in the wake of the murder of Lalzawmliana, a forest guard inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve in October 1997 by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants stands at 29,520 individuals from 5,448 families," MBDPF president Elvis Chorkhy told PTI from Tripura.

The gender break-up was 14,608 males and 14,912 females.

Those who left Mizoram in 2009 after the Bru militants gunned down Zarzokima, a 17 year-old youth near Bungthuam hamlet on November 13, three days before the date of the proposed repatriation was scheduled to commence, were 2,183 people belonging to 449 families, he said, adding that the gender break-up was 1118 males and 1065 females.

In the population survey conducted by the MBDPF during June 15 to July 28, the total figure stood at 27,261, belonging to 5,421 families.

The survey was conducted again after many complained that they were not included in the head count.

The difference was that in the final compilation after the resurvey the number of Bru refugees increased by 6,442 and the number of families also increased by 476.

The population survey is seen as the initial step for the repatriation of the refugees from Tripura as the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, during his visit to Aizawl on May 25, urged Bru leaders to ensure that all the refugees should return not later than October this year.