At least 2,000 people, belonging to Bru community have taken shelter in the foothills of Jampui in the Kanchanpur sub-division since Saturday last following ethnic violence in Mamit and Kolashib districts, bordering Tripura.
In a related development, the Mizoram government today announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 each for Bru families who fled to neighbouring Tripura in the wake of the mob violence.
With Rs 50 lakh having been allocated for the purpose, each family would receive Rs 3,000 once they returned back while the remaining amount would be disbursed for their resettlement, an official spokesman said.
Making it clear that Mizoram must ensure the security of the Brus, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), the sole representative body of the refugees, however asserted the community members, sheltered in the evacuee camps, would not return on their own unless the safety aspect was ensured.
"We cannot and will not return to our own land unless the government solves this problem in a democratic manner and give us full guarantee of safety and security. We can not just return to be butchered and our properties destroyed there," Secretary of the MBDPF said over phone from Kanchanpur.
The repatriation was scheduled to begin on November 14 as decided in the tripartite meeting in Aizawl on November 4 last.
The MBDPF demanded an inquiry into the incident and arrest of the culprits. "Those, who are against repatriation, must have been killed the mizo youth. Else, why the murder should take place just before the day of begining of the repatriation?", he asked.
The fresh violence erupted following gunning down of a 18-year old mizo youth on Friday last at bunghuma village by suspected militants of Bru National Army (BNA).
The 37000 refugees, now sheltered in the evacuee camps had tricled down to Tripura since 1997 following series of ethnic clashes.
The Speaker of Mizoram assembly R Rawma arrived at Bhangmun village in Kanchanpur sub-division, neighbouring Mizoram, to assess the situation and is likely to stay there till tomorrow.
The Mizoram Police estimated that more than 600 Brus had fled Mizoram since last November 13 following the murder of the youth Zarzikima of Mizoram-Tripura border Bungthuamn village on that day by suspected Bru militants
The Mamit district administration have made arrangements to deliver aid to victims of arson in different villages of the district as more than 300 huts were razed in the aftermath of the murder of a youth by suspected Bru rebels.
While truckloads of relief materials including rice, garments and utensils have been sent to Mamit district, the three major churches have donated Rs 3.7 lakh to the State Level Relief Co-ordination Committee headed by Secretary of the Disaster Management and Relief department.
The Mizoram Presbyterian Church has donated Rs two lakh and clothes while the Baptist Church of Mizoram and the Catholic Church Aizawl Diocese donated Rs one lakh and Rs 70,000 respectively, an official statement said.