BRUS REFUGEES
The Brus, also known as Reangs, are spread across Tripura, Mizoram and southern Assam. In Mizoram, they are scattered in Kolasib, Lunglei and Mamit districts. While many Brus of Assam and Tripura are Hindu, the Brus of Mizoram converted to Christianity over the years. The conflicts between the Brus and the local Bengali non-tribal people have started taking place in Tripura. In Mizoram, the Bru is called Vai, a term for non-Mizos, indicating they are ethnically and linguistically different from Mizos. Due to the fear that non-locals will take over their land and its politics, clashes between communities in Northeast India are common conflict ensued between the Mizos and the Brus in 1995. Mizo organisations demanded the removal of Brus from the state’s electoral roll, claiming that the Brus are not indigenous to the state. But the successive governments didn’t agree to their demand, and soon an armed organisation called the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) was formed. This led t