In 1997, following a violent conflict with the Mizos, over 40,000 members of the scheduled Bru or Reang tribe had fled to adjoining North Tripura, and have been staying in relief camps over there ever since. An issue that crops up in every state election since, is whether or not these Bru refugees, technically residents of Mizoram, should be allowed to cast their votes for the Mizoram state elections in Tripura. The Mizo community is opposed to this idea, and the word on the street was that SB Shashank was in favour of it.

Since 2010, in a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the state governments of Tripura and Mizoram, there have been eight repatriation efforts to get the Brus back to Mizoram. However, protests by local Bru groups, who argue that the state is not safe for members of the tribe, means that these efforts have largely failed.