Newmai News Network Aizawl | October 14 Kolasib headquarters of Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the student body, has strongly opposed the verification of Bru voters which has been undertaken at relief camps in Tripura. In a representation submitted to Kolasib District Election Officer (DEO) Dr Arun T, the student body expressed its opposition to the appeal made by Bru people lodged at six relief camps in Tripura that verification should be done at the relief camps so that the Brus are enrolled in Mizoram electoral roll. In the ongoing roll revision, many Bru voters, who were reluctant to return to Mizoram were not included in the electoral roll as they failed to attend public hearings in Mizoram. Following this, the Bru people lodged complaint with the ECI and asked to do verification at relief camps. The Mizo student body said that it did not find any obligation on the part of the state government to do verification and roll revision at relief camps "because the Bru people were reluctant to return to Mizoram on their own". A student leader said that the Bru people fled Mizoram on their own and were reluctant to return to Mizoram despite several attempts to repatriate them. He said that the Bru people this time too refused to return to Mizoram despite a "quadripartite agreement" between the Centre, government of Mizoram and the government of Tripura and Bru leaders. “We believe that the Bru people do not want to become citizens of Mizoram, and for this, there is no any necessity to be enrolled them in the Mizoram electoral roll,” he said. The student body also decided to stage a protest rally and hold dharna in front of DC office in Kolasib on Monday to register protest. Meanwhile, Dr Arun T said that the district administration had carried out verification at relief camps as per the directive of the Election Commission of India. He said that cancellation of verification was beyond their purview and the matter would be put up before official of ECI, when the later visits Mizoram next Tuesday.
