Illegal Chakma immigrants settling in small hamlets in the Hortoki Village Council area under the Kolasib district of Mizoram have been served eviction notice by the village council.
The immigrants, who claimed that they have come from Assam, have been asked to leave the Hortoki Village Council area before February-end.
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The Kolasib unit of Mizo Zirlai Pawl, an apex students’ body of the State, stated that they would support the Hortoki Village Council’s eviction order and that the members of the students’ body would visit the site in February to make sure that the alleged illegal Chakma immigrants leave Mizoram.
Hortoki Village Council treasurer Remlalliana said that they have visited the site where the Chakmas have taken shelter and said that there were six families with a total of 25 persons including children.
“They claimed to have come from Cachar district in Assam but they do not posses any document which could identify them as bona fide Indian citizens,” said Remlalliana.
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“Without any permission from the village council authorities, they are involved in jhumming and harvest forest bounty,” Remlalliana added.
The alleged illegal settlement was detected by Hortoki villagers in early December and the local council authorities visited the settlement in late December. According to village authorities, they found country-made rifles in their possession which were seized.
Hortoki Village Council officials also said that there were other illegal Chakma settlements in adjacent Mamit district, but they decided not to involve in it since it was beyond their village council’s jurisdiction.
It has been estimated that around 80,000 Chakmas live in Mizoram and they constitute the second largest ethnic group in the State. The 2001 census has recorded their total population at 71,283. They mostly live in the south western part of the State.
Most of the NGOs in Mizoram have made strong allegations that there has been illegal migration of Chakmas through the porous international border in the southern side.