Over 50% Criminal Cases in Mizoram Linked to Refugees: Minister

Over 50% Criminal Cases in Mizoram Linked to Refugees: On Friday, Aizawl, Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga stated that over 50 per cent of the criminal cases in Mizoram in the recent past were associated with individuals who discovered refuge and ran away to the state.

Officials said, more than 30,000 refugees of Myanmar and Bangladesh and Internally Displaced People of Manipur which was ex-Manipur state are currently having shelter in the northeastern state.

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When speaking in a review meeting here, the home minister stated that the state is experiencing an upward trend in the rate of crime.

"More than half of the criminal cases were connected with displaced people from across the international border," the home minister said.

Myanmar nationals arrived in the state after a military coup in their country in February 2021, whereas asylum seekers of Bangladesh represented the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts who had fled to the state during military operations against an ethnic rebel group in 2022.

Many Kuki people of Manipur as well have sought refuge in Mizoram when ethnic violence erupted with the Meiteis in May 2023.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Thursday claimed to be considering confiscation by the government of identity cards issued by the Myanmar government of a part of the refugees, who keep on crossing the international border and frequently break the law in India.

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The Myanmar refugees that sheltered in Mizoram consisted of mainly Chin community people, who are ethnically related to the Mizos.

There is also a close ethnic connection of the native Mizos with the Kuki-Hmar-Zomi people of Manipur and Bawm tribe of Bangladesh who have found shelter in Mizoram.

During this meeting held on Friday, Sapdanga opined that policemen who will be incapable of performing their duty will be advised to have voluntary retirement and those who cannot participate in voluntary retirement scheme would have a special arrangement of retirement. This is necessary in the transformation of the police force.

Pointing the significance of the assistance provided by the civil society to the law and order, Sapdanga also proposed strengthening of the village defence parties throughout the state.

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