Aizawl: With the death of a four-month-old baby on Monday, six people have died so far in Bru relief camps in North Tripura district, which a forum for displaced Brus claims to be a result of "starvation".
Three persons are admitted to a hospital and the Bru refugees continued to stage road blockade in an area in Tripura bordering Mizoram since Thursday, demanding the resumption of free ration and cash-dole to them.
Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) alleged that the people died of "starvation" after the Centre "stopped providing free ration and cash-dole" to the inmates of the relief camps from last month following commencement of the ninth and final repatriation process from October 3. The exercise is scheduled to be completed by November 30.
The four-month-old baby, Pigili Reang, daughter of Khondro, reportedly died in Hamsapara relief camp on Monday morning.
Sexagenarian Bistirung, one-year-old Akosha and three-month-old Ojitrai, all of them inmates of Naisingpara relief camp, had reportedly died of starvation on Sunday. Two inmates of Naisingpara relief camp had reportedly died on Thursday.
Further, three persons - Ramjoy Reang (65) of Ashapara relief camp, Reang Khumbarboti (60) of Naisingpara relief camp and Dobokumar (55) of Ashapara camp have been admitted to hospital.
Mizoram officials on duty at Kanchanpur said that the agitating Brus were not blocking the road targeting trucks carrying essential goods but trying to stop Mizoram officials who are to bring back Bru families.
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Sub Divisional Magistrate of Kanchanpur Sub Division Abhedananda Baidya had said on Saturday that an enquiry was being conducted to ascertain the cause of death of the two inmates of Naisingpara relief camp on Thursday.
Brus lodged in the relief camps have been demanding resumption of free ration and cash-dole to inmates of the camps. It was stopped by the Centre from last month as the ninth and final repatriation process commenced from October 3, officials said.
The ongoing repatriation is scheduled to be completed by November 30.
Each adult in the relief camps used to get Rs 2.67 and a minor Rs 1.33 a day as cash-dole while the quantity of rice was 450 gm for an adult per day and 225 gm for a minor per day as free ration before the commencement of the repatriation process.
Over 4,000 Bru displaced families, lodged in the relief camps at Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions of North Tripura district, are scheduled to return to neighbouring Mizoram from where they had fled since 1997 following ethnic clashes.
The Bru community, also called Reangs in Tripura, is among the 21 scheduled tribes in the country. They are scattered across Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.
Officials said that 216 Bru families have returned to Mizoram from the relief camps since October 3.
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