Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram K. Vanlalvena raised the issue of allowing Kuki Chin refugees from Bangladesh to enter Mizoram at the all-party meeting chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Monday.
The MP reiterated his appeal to the Centre to allow the entry of asylum seekers from Bangladesh into Mizoram.
Speaking at the all-party meeting held ahead of the Union Budget Session today, Vanlalvena said that Kuki-Chin people from Bangladesh who fled their country were pushed back by Border Security Force (BSF) and many of them were stranded in a forest between the two countries without any food and water.
“The unarmed civilians are being caught in a crossfire between the Bangladesh Army and insurgent groups. They must be allowed to enter Mizoram as they are not safe in their country. The BSF should be instructed not to push back the innocent civilians,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha member was echoing the sentiments of Mizo general public when he demanded entry of Chin-Kuki refugees, who share the same ethnicity and ancestry with the Mizos, into Mizoram.
He has gone on record to say that not allowing the “ethnic Mizo” from Bangladesh to enter India will amount to “discrimination on ethnic grounds” as in the 1970s thousands of displaced Chakmas (mostly Buddhists) from Bangladesh were allowed to enter India and settle in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
Also Read: Mizoram protests refusal of Kuki Chins from Bangladesh by the BSF
The review meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.
In total, around 1,200-1,400 houses primarily belonging to Bengali-speaking Muslims, were demolished during the eviction…