SC lawyer issues legal notice to officials over stopping

A Supreme Court lawyer has issued a legal notice to six officials for stopping supply of free ration and cash-dole to Bru refugees living in relief camps in Tripura leading to the "death of six persons", an organisation of the displaced people said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has stopped free ration and cash-dole after repatriation of the Brus to their homeland Mizoram started on October 3. It is scheduled to continue till November 30.

The Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) had claimed that six people including babies have died in relief camps since October 29 "because of starvation" after the ration supply was stopped to the 35,000 odd refugees. The Tripura government, however, said four people died and the cause of the deaths was being ascertained.

Advocate Ali Zia Kabir Choudhary sent the legal notice to six officials including Tripura Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla, North Tripura District Magistrate Ravel H Kumar and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kanchanpur Abhedananda Baidya, MBDPF leaders said.

When asked by PTI, Baidya said he received the notice.

The displaced people had launched a roadblock at Anandabazar, known for a prominent market, at Kanchanpur in North Tripura district from October 31 demanding resumption of cash-dole and free ration to them. Following assurance from Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debverma to resume supply of free ration, the blockade was withdrawn on October 7.

Baidya said, "The refugees have already started getting free ration."