On December 10, 2019, about 150 members of a mob, allegedly from the Bru migrant population, ransacked and looted the houses and shops of 93 Bengali families in Anandabazar area in North Tripura. Since then, the families have sought refuge at the Anandabazar police station.
Bengali inhabitants, resentful of the attack, formed an organisation called the Nagarik Suraksha Mancha (NSM) to represent the interests of the Bengali-speaking people in Kanchanpur sub-division. The organisation has been demanding the rehabilitation of the displaced Bengali families and compensation for their losses. A majority of these families have refused to leave the premises of the police station despite repeated requests from the local administration.
On February 19, 2020, the state government announced the discontinuation of rations to the camp in the police station owing to the supposed peace prevailing at the site of the incident. Only about seven of the 93 families have returned to their houses following a compensation package from the state.
NSM asserts that the December incident is not new and that thousands of Bengali families have been displaced since 2000 due to numerous instances of skirmishes, attacks and violence at the hands of the Brus. It claims that the plight of the Bengalis has been repeatedly overlooked by the government, hinting at an alleged political ploy to displace the Bengalis from the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) area. It also condemns The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance for its alleged involvement in fomenting ethnic tension.
Highlighting the need to address the needs of the displaced Bengalis, Rathindra Kumar Roy, general secretary of Anandabazar Displaced People’s Committee, told the media: “This is not the first time we have had to vacate our houses. We became refugees following a series of violent incidents from 2000 to 2003. Some of us left Anandabazar for good. Are we not humans enough to deserve a fear-free life and a rehabilitation package similar to that of the Brus?”
Besides compensation and deployment of security personnel for the protection of the Bengalis, NSM chairperson Kamal Krishna Nath has also demanded the delimitation of land for non-tribals in the TTADC areas, which are governed by the Sixth Schedule.
The public outcry against the displacement of the Bengali people in the state grew into an organised protest shortly after a quadripartite agreement in January 2020, seeking to resettle the Brus in the state, was announced. The agreement was signed by the Centre, the governments of Mizoram and Tripura, and the leaders of the Bru community in Tripura. The agreement has received mixed response in Tripura. While the leaders who signed the agreement have hailed it as a ‘historic achievement’, the response of the Mizo and Bengali communities have been lukewarm. NSM has strongly opposed the resettlement plan of the Brus, which, they believe, will cause wide-ranging social disorder – demographic change, pressure over natural resources and ethnic conflicts.
“Every problem needs a villain. The internally displaced people, removed from their roots and with nowhere else to go, are easy to blame for every ill," A. Sawibunga, president of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum, was quoted as saying in the media.
The Bengali and Mizo civil society groups in the state have come together under the united banner of the Joint Movement Committee. It has opposed the resettlement of the Brus in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions except in select areas. The committee wants to be actively involved in the resettlement process, especially in matters of land allocation and distribution of the Brus area-wise.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for rehabilitation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to ration services for one year, demand for a permanent camp of central armed forces, demand for the arrest of the perpetrators, demand for the restoration of Dasda to Ananda Bazar road
Region Classification
Urban and Rural
Type of Land
Both
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Displacement
Physical attack
Raid/break-in/theft
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
About 150 members of a mob, allegedly from the Bru migrant population, ransacked and looted the houses and shops of 93 Bengali families in Anandabazar area in North Tripura.
Date of Violation
December 9, 2019
Location of Violation
Anandabazar
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Revenue Department, Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, District administration of North Tripura, Sub-division administration of Kanchanpur
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
N/A
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Udbastu Unnayan Samiti, Nagarik Suraksha Mancha, Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum, Mizo Convention, Joint Movement Committee
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Sarup is a researcher and doctoral student in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. His research interests lie in the area of ethnic and land conflicts, political ecology and development and urban spaces of Northeast India. He has a Masters’ degree in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. He has previously done research/internships with NABARD, Oxford Microfinance Initiative (renamed Oxford Development Consultancy) and CSDS (Lokniti Programme).
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