Young Mizo Association Closes Down Bridge on Border of Mizoram & Tripura

Aizawl, Apr 26 : The Langkaih Group of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) in Mamit district has decided to close down the bridge over the Langkaih river on the Mizoram-Tripura border from 5 pm on Monday.

The decision was taken at a meeting held on Wednesday after the Bru community in Tripura organized a bandh in protest against the mysterious death of Sibaram Reang and accused the Mizoram government and the Mizo people of being involved in the latter's death.

The YMA leaders said the closure of the bridge would be indefinite and would begin from 5pm on Monday. The Bru community of Tripura adjoining Mizoram organized a bandh on April 23 in protest against the death of Sibaram Reang (25), who was a suspect in a robbery case, police said.

Reang was arrested by police in connection with the robbery of Abdul Manaf Uddin and his family members on April 8. Police said he escaped from the custody of the Mizoram Police on April 14.

His mutilated body was later found hanging from a tree at Laitauhpara village in Tripura on April 21. The Young Bru Association and Bru Socio-Cultural Organisation alleged that Reang died in the custody of the Mizoram police, who later amputated both his arms and legs and hung his body from a tree.

Earlier on April 8, reports said that eight masked, armed men speaking in the Bru dialect entered a farm hut owned by a Mizo man, J Malsawma, near Bungthuam early Sunday morning. They physically tortured the chowkidar of the farm, Abdul Manaf, and his family members.