Home Ministry official visits Mizoram

AIZAWL, January 31: Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ajay Srivastava, today visited Mizoram western Dampa Rengpui hamlet inhabited by Reangs Brus, according to official sources here, reports PTI. Srivastava arrived here yesterday to conduct on-the-spot verification of the progress of identification of Reang refugees, now lodged in six refugee camps in Tripura. He met State Chief Minister Zoramthanga and Chief Secretary H V Lalringa and discussed with them the issue of repatriation of the refugees from Tripura. The Mizoram Government has identified more than 11,000 Bru refugees as bona fide residents of the State, State Additional secretary for Home C Tawnluaia said. Tawnluaia told PTI that the identifications were made from the list of more than 30,000 names of refugees submitted to the State Government by the Tripura Government. "While more than 10,000 Brus belonging to 1,700 families identified are still in the refugee camps in Tripura, 1,617 Brus have already returned on their own will," he said.