The Mizoram government will not be able to push back or deport Zo refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh, Chief Minister Lalduhoma told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting wherein he urged the Centre to understand the state's position in giving refuge to the Bangladeshi migrants, according to an official statement cited by news agency PTI.

A Mizoram home department official reportedly noted that nearly 2,000 members of the Zo ethnic community from Bangladesh have taken refuge in the state since 2022. During a brief interaction on Saturday, PM Modi was informed by Lalduhoma that the latter's government cannot push back or deport Zo ethnic people hailing from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), the statement said.

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Mizos share ethnic ties with the Bangladeshi refugees. Lalduhoma informed the prime minister that many people belonging to the Bawm tribe, one of the ethnic Mizo tribes, from Bangladesh have been sheltering in Mizoram since 2022, adding that several of their fellow community members are still trying to enter the state, PTI said in its report.

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Notably, Lalduhoma, an ex-IPS officer, assumed charge as the Chief Minister of Mizoram on December 8, 2023. This came after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) coalition registered a landslide victory in that year's Assembly election. Zo ethnic people began seeking refuge in Mizoram in November 2022, after the Bangladeshi Army launched an offensive against the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), a militant group.

(With inputs from agencies)


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