Bru community

For the first time, the newly settled voters of Bru community of Tripura has exercised their franchise for the General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024.

About Bru community:

• Also referred to as Reangs, they are a tribal community indigenous to northeast India and have historically resided in parts of Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam.
• In Mizoram, they are scattered in Kolasib, Lunglei and Mamit districts.
• In the state of Tripura, the Brus are a designated Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

Distinct from Mizos:

• they are ethnically different from the Mizos, with their own distinct language and dialect and form one of the 21 scheduled tribes of Tripura.
• The Mizos are part of the Kuki-Chin Linguistic Group, while the Brus are part of the Bodo Linguistic Group.
• While many Brus of Assam and Tripura are Hindu, the Brus of Mizoram converted to Christianity over the years

Persecution:

• In 1995, the Brus clashed with the majority Mizos in Mizoram.
• The Mizos demanded that the Brus, who were perceived to be non-indigenous, be removed from Mizoram’s electoral rolls.
• This led to an armed movement by a Bru outfit.
• Over 30,000 Brus fled Mizoram due to ethnic clashes with Mizo tribes in 1997.
• They were displaced to refugee camps in Tripura.

Resettlement Efforts:

• In 2020, a quadripartite agreement was signed between the Central Government, the Governments of Tripura and Mizoram, and Bru-Reang representatives.
• It aimed to resettle Brus within Tripura, offering them various rehabilitation aids including housing and stipends.

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