Bru Starvation Deaths: “Don’t let people die like this”, SC seeks Centre’s reply on stoppage of ration in refugee camps

The Supreme Court yesterday asked the Centre to file its reply within two weeks on why the ration supply has been stopped to relief camps in Tripura where the Bru community is lodged..A PIL in this regard came up for hearing before the Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and comprising Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant. The Court has directed the Centre to take instructions in the matter and file a reply within two weeks. A visibly perturbed CJI said,.“Don’t do this… don’t let people die like this.”.The petition filed before the Supreme Court states that the Bru community, a scheduled tribe originally from Mizoram, has been living in these relief camps in Tripura for over 22 years. The ration provided by the Centre in the relief camp has allegedly been stopped starting October 1, this year..The petition alleges that the Centre, in violation of the Apex Court’s orders to maintain status quo, informed the petitioner body that the ration supply and cash dole to the Bru community in the relief camps would be stopped from October 1 and that the relief camps will be removed on November 30. The petition adds,.“Following their threat, rations supply, cash dole and all other services were unilaterally suspended on 1.10.2019 at all 7 Bru Relief Camps, and it was redeclared that all camps would be removed by 30.11.2019.”.The displaced Bru community is dependent wholly on the “meagre ration and cash dole” provided by the Centre, the petitioner has submitted. In light of the stoppage of the same, six cases of starvation deaths occurred by November 4. The victims of these deaths were either infants or old persons, groups most vulnerable to starvation deaths, it is informed..There have been nearly fifty reported cases of people collapsing due to acute hunger and starvation in light of the move by the Centre, the petition further claims. It is also averred that neither have any FIRs against administration been registered by the local police nor has any investigation been conducted..“Repeated requests were made to the government of Tripura and Union of India to release the ration but to no avail,” the petition adds..After peaceful protests carried out by the people belonging to the refugee community, the State of Tripura agreed to release ration for the relief camps, albeit only till November 30. However, no such action was taken either by the State of Mizoram, where the community originally belongs to, nor the Centre..On the contrary, the Centre has allegedly continued to issue reminders regarding the impending closure of the relief camps, it is submitted. The petitioner body further states that various buses remained parked near the camps for the purpose of transporting the refugees back to Mizoram. It is on account of fear of more such deaths occurring that the petitioner body has moved the Supreme Court, the petition submits..“There is widespread fear among the people at the relief camps that food supply would yet again be suspended resulting into further deaths and people would be forcefully bundled into the standby vehicles and transported to Mizoram. It is in these circumstances that the petitioner has approached this Hon Court.”.The petitioners have therefore prayed for the direction to the Respondents to release the ration “unlawfully withheld” for the month of October and for the maintenance of its supply till further orders from the Apex Court. The petitioner has prayed that the ration to be supplied should contain nutritious commodities..The petitioner has also sought a direction for the local Police to register FIRs in the six cases of starvation deaths and for a Special Investigation Team to be constituted to look into these deaths. Additionally, compensation to the tune of Rs. 1 Crore for the families of each of the victims is also prayed for..The petition was drafted by Advocate Choudhary Ali Zia Kabir, filed by Advocate Satya Mitra and the petitioners were represented by Senior Counsel Colin Gonsalves..[Read Order].Image Source: Free Press Journal