Over 300 people of the Kuki-Chin community fled to India from Bangladesh after security forces of the neighbouring country began an anti-insurgency operation in November, a Mizoram government official said on Monday.
The Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts have taken shelter in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district after crossing over to India, he said.
These people crossed over after Bangladeshi security forces began operations against the insurgent group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), the official said.
KNA is the armed wing of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), which demands a separate state comprising the areas where people of the Kuki-Chin or Mizo community live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
In the first batch, 272 people entered the state on November 20, followed by 21 people in the second batch and another 15 people recently, the official told PTI.
The government has decided that the Bangladeshis will be relocated to four nearby villages from the Parva-3 area where they are taking shelter at present, he said.
While 30 families would be relocated to Tuithumhnar village, 20 families would be shifted to Vathuampui village and 14 and 10 families would be shifted to Chamdur project and Mautlang villages, respectively, he said.
Village-level committees have been formed to take care of these people, including arranging for their accommodation and food, he added.
Mizoram shares a 318-km-long international border with Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the influential Young Mizo Association urged the state government to provide shelter to the Kuki-Chin people who are also ethnic Mizos.
(Published 12 December 2022, 16:50 IST)
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