Bru voters: HC restrains SC of Kolasib district in Mizoram from publishing final electoral roll

The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday restrained the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kolasib district in Mizoram from publishing the final electoral roll pertaining to Bru voters lodged in the six relief camps in Tripura before Monday.

Judge Justice Michael Zothankhuma of Aizawl bench heard the public interest litigation (PIL) filed against DC Arun T by the Kolasib unit of All NGO Coordination Committee, an apex body of civil societies and student bodies in the state, and ordered issuance of notice to the DC.

Justice Zothankhuma said that if the final electoral was already published, the DC should bring the voters lists to the court on Monday.

The next hearing in the case was fixed on Monday next, the counsel for the Committee, Lalbiaknunga Hnamte said.

The DC has been accused of enrolling 218 Brus lodged in the six relief camps in Tripura without conducting any hearing and ascertaining whether they were bonafide residents of Mizoram.

The leaders of the NGO Committe's Kolasib unit have alleged that the DC was trying to conceal his actions and that his efforts had resulted in enlisting of Bru voters who, it was suspected, were not bonafide residents of the state.

The Committee had on Monday demanded that the DC, who is also the district election officer, to leave Kolasib district on or before 5 pm on Tuesday.

Amid the controversy, a mob had attacked the office of the Kolasib deputy commissioner on November 6. A few people, including a senior police official, were injured in the incident.

The state's Joint CEO, Zorammuana, had issued an order to the Kolasib DC on November 6 instructing him to delete all the 218 names and conduct a public hearing in the presence of the village leaders and NGOs to ascertain the true identities of the newly enrolled voters lodged in the Bru relief camps.