According to the State government officials at least 383 houses belonging to the Brus were fully burnt. About 5,000 Brus were displaced. Of them about 2,000 Brus crossed over to neighbouring Tripura State and joined about 35,000 Bru IDPs who had earlier fled in 1997 following similar communal attacks. An ACHR report.

From 13 to 17 November 2009, about 500 houses in 11 villages belonging to the indigenous Bru minorities, also known as Reangs, were burnt down by persons whom the officials of the State government of Mizoram termed as “miscreants” and “anti-social elements”. The attacks were carried out in retaliation of the murder of a Mizo youth identified as Mr Zarzokima (17 years) in the morning of 13 November 2009 by alleged Bru Revolutionary Union (BRU) cadres at Bungthuam village under Lokicherra police station in Mamit district.

The government of Mizoram accepted a fact-finding effort by ACHR. While the detailed report can be accessed at the link highlighted above, key findings and recommendations from the report are listed here for ease of readership.

The Bru issue remains a blot to Mizoram’s record as a peaceful State. Throughout the field visit, the Brus were described as “nomads” in an attempt to denigrate the Brus and deny any land rights. To the Fact Finding Team of ACHR, all the tribal groups in the North East including the Mizos practice “shifting cultivation” and therefore required to shift places. Further, major re-grouping of the Mizos took place under the most controversial “Protected and Progressive Villages” in 1960s as part of the counter the Mizo insurgency operations.

The Bru issue in Mizoram raises questions about the notion and principle of rule of law where the mobs are often allowed to take law into their hands. It raises questions whether minorities in the State shall enjoy equality or be at the mercy of the majority. Fundamentally, it is also about whether a tribal State such as Mizoram has the capacity and willingness to accept ethnic plurality, democracy and the rule of law to be the key principles of its governance. The question remains whether the Brus who are otherwise notified as “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group” shall have the rights as provided by the government of India to the Kashmiri Pandits or even the internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka!

The Fact Finding Team places its findings below:
First, while the murder of Zarzokima must be condemned, it does not justify violence against the Brus enmasse.
Second, the State government of Mizoram failed to make timely interventions to stop the burning of the Bru houses houses. The Mizoram government ought to have been aware about the backlash that would be unleashed against the Brus during and after the funeral of Zarzokima which took place on 15th November 2009. It only on 17th November 2009 that the District Magistrate had given the responsibility to the concerned officers to protect the Brus.
Third, wherever the police were present, they have failed to act impartially and often sought to justify their inability to intervene by showing the mob violence. As the burning down of the houses in Damdial village showed the administration and the police were more interested to appease the miscreants by letting them to burn a few houses.
Fourth, the rule of law has collapsed and none of the arsonists have been prosecuted despite the arsons taking place in front of the police personnel such as in Damdial village.
Fifth, the State government of Mizoram promptly provided relief but it had not provided rehabilitation.
As of date it has not made any assessment of the damages necessary to compensate and rehabilitate those affected.
Sixth, the State government of Tripura too failed to provide timely rehabilitation to the Bru IDPs.
Seventh, the State government of Mizoram failed to show any seriousness to resolve the Bru crisis as reflected from the failed talks on 4 November 2009. The Mizoram government announced the repatriation of the Brus from Tripura without identifying as to which Brus shall return and virtually without any preparedness. The absence of an agreement had created fears and suspicions among both the Mizos and Brus and both the communities used the murder of Zarzokima to stall the ill-planned, if not ill-motivated, repatriation.

The Brus have been forced to migrate to Tripura to flee the violence -  even there, their condition is pathetic. To resolve this and to prevent similar incidences in future, the fact finding team has made specific recommendations to the governments that help to empower the Bru community through land rights, access to infrastructure and schools as well as greater awareness among law enforcing forces.