Author: Surya Narain Saxena
Publication: The Statesman
Date: October 9, 2001
Sir- Apropos of the article "Mizo
Woes" by Sanjoy Hazarika (12 September) it is a good survey of the existing
conditions in Mizoram and has made a welcome suggestion for amelioration
of the genuine grievances of half a dozen minor tribes of the state - But
I wonder how the author has failed to mention the problems of the Reang
(Bru) tribe, the largest minority, 40 per cent of Mizoram. Many of them
were thrown out in September- October, 1947, after ethnic violence and
over 35,000 of them are still languishing in several camps in Kanchanpur
Sub-division of Tripura at the expense of the Central Government.
Despite their own commitment, strong
recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, pressure of Tripura
government, a number of meetings at ministerial and official levels and
several forceful articles the state government is refusing to take back
their own bona tide inhabitants.
There is a striking parallel between
the flight of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir valley and that of Reangs (Bru)
from their villages in Mizoram as a result of large scale terror communal
and ethnic violence. Much is known about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits,
but hardly anybody knows about the atrocities on the Reangs by the majority
Mizos since their number is small.
Most reprehensible is the role of
the election machinery of the state which instead of being free and fair,
as expected, has been acting in tune with and as a subordinate of the state
government and has almost cleansed the electoral rolls of eligible Reang
voters.
This is borne out by the effect
of a PIL by this writer in Delhi High Court before the elections to the
13th Lok Sabha in 1999 for getting voting rights for Reang refugees in
camps in Tripura. The High Court while conceding the right of voting to
the Reang refugees, among other things directed the Chief complete electoral
rolls of Mizoram within three days. But what was given by the CEC was the
rolls of only 28 Assembly segments out of 40 and of Aizawl district only.
This was discovered when these, with great difficulty, were sent to the
refugees and their leaders scrutinised the rolls. The CEC, however, on
protest supplied the best lot of 12 Assembly segments on 17 September 1999
while polling was to take place on 25 September, 1999 - hardly a week away.
More startling was the fact that 14,438 names of Reang voters were deleted
from the first lot, ie 28 segments of Aizawl district and only 500 were
found eligible to vote. The refugees bycotted the polling and faxed their
decision to the CEC in Delhi on the ground that the election was vitiated
on account of use of doctored electoral rolls.
However, Mr Hazarika has confirmed
that there are no Reangs in Mizoram and the few left are either afraid
of coming out and speaking to journalists or have taken Mizo names to hide
their identity. - Yours, etc., Surya Narain Saxena, Delhi, 5 October.