GUWAHATI: The Mizoram Bru Indigenous Democratic Movement has appealed to the people and activists in Mizoram to allow the voters from their community enrolled in the electoral list to cast their votes from the “safety of their relief camps in Tripura”.
G.B Herbert Reang, the president of the North Tripura based organisation, which has been championing the cause of the displaced Bru community since August last year, told The Shillong Times that there is a sense of fear and insecurity among the displaced people of the Bru community in North Tripura, for which the voters listed in the electoral list should be allowed to cast their votes from the relief camps.
“According to Article 326 of the Indian Constitution, every citizen of India irrespective of caste, sex, creed and religion has the right to vote. It is therefore our right to vote in the relief camps because we fear for our lives as we have been facing insecurity in Mizoram since there is no adequate security arrangement for our safety and protection,” Reang said.
“We would like to appeal to our Mizo brothers to show minimum respect to the Constitution and honour the sentiments of the Bru community through peaceful co-existence. We appeal to them to enable us to fully exercise our legitimate rights of franchise with peace and dignity in the relief camps for our safety and security,” he said.
More than 11,000 Bru voters from Mizoram are currently living in relief camps in Tripura.
The association however blamed NGOs, civil society and church in Mizoram for the recent turn of events in the poll-bound state besides expressing concern over their stand against the “legitimate voting rights” of the displaced Bru (Reang) community currently taking shelter in relief camps of Tripura.
“By carrying out the agitation against the voting rights of the Bru community, the NGO coordination committee was sending a clear message against a legitimate demand of the community,” Reang said.
Mizoram goes to the Assembly elections on November 28 even as the Election Commission of India is exploring a replacement for chief electoral officer, S.B. Shashank who has been in the eye of a storm following the transfer of the principal secretary (home), L. Chuaungo to the Union home ministry.
The CEO, who has faced flak from NGOs and civil society in Mizoram for his “style of functioning”, had reportedly pulled up Chuaungo for allegedly interfering with the revision of electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections, leading to his transfer.
The Bru association also stood firm on its demand for an autonomous council in Mizoram for safeguarding the interests and all-round development of the community.
“Under such circumstances and considering the continued hegemony and hatred towards the Bru (Reang) community, we reiterate our legitimate demand for creation of a Bru Autonomous Council in the western belt of Mizoram for our political and constitutional safeguard and all round development of the community,” Reang said.