Reang Migrants Issues: Hojagiri Festival Organisers Clarify CM’s Remarks Saying Dr. Manik Saha’s Statement Was Historically Correct

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 14, 2025

Amid discussions and controversy surrounding Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha’s recent comments at the inauguration of the Hojagiri Festival organised by the RU Socio-Cultural Organisation at BAFI, the organisers have come forward with a detailed clarification, asserting that the Chief Minister’s statement was historically accurate and based on facts.

Addressing a press conference at the Agartala Press Club on Monday, officials of the RU Socio-Cultural Organisation stated that a section of the Reang (Bru) community had indeed moved to the Chittagong Hill Tracts during a period when that region was under Tripura’s rule. Later, those who had migrated returned and reintegrated into Tripura’s mainstream society.

They clarified that during the reign of the Tripura kings, both the Tripuri and Reang communities enjoyed equal rights and privileges, and members of the Reang community had a close and trusted relationship with the royal family. Many Reang individuals even served as commanders in the royal army, records of which, they said, still exist in historical documents and old texts.

The organisers emphasised that Dr. Saha’s statement during the Hojagiri Festival was not wrong. However, they added that it would have been clearer to mention that the Reang people who came from Chittagong were originally from Tripura and had migrated there earlier before returning to their homeland.

Quoting from historical sources, the organisers pointed out that many books have written about Reangs migration from Chittagong to Tripura, but the factual reality is that these people were originally residents of Tripura who had moved temporarily. Through the press conference, they provided historical records to substantiate their claims and appealed to all to end the unnecessary controversy surrounding the Chief Minister’s statement.

They concluded by reiterating that the Reang community are the indigenous inhabitants of Tripura, having deep historical, cultural, and administrative ties to the land since the time of the kings.

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