TW: Mentions violence
This article is an attempt to bring out the voices of various innocent citizens caught amidst the conflict in Manipur.
The Need For Unbaised Dialogue
KD is running a ‘trauma response centre’ in relief camps in Bishnupur district Manipur . He had to leave Manipur for a family emergency for a few days . He says “I traveled to Mumbai for a family emergency, Once I got internet access I read reports from the media, read traumatic messages from Kuki and Meitei friends and it’s been very disturbing. I realise the impact has been deep and painful.
The threat of a gun, bullet, bomb, fire, and mob is real and this trauma affects all communities involved. The sequence of events and scale of violence came as a shock to me. This conflict is multi-layered, manipulated, and triggered by propaganda-manufactured news. Many journalists are reporting without any clarity. I have seen only a few people talking about trauma and people’s pain beyond the communal aspect.
The impact of this conflict is long-term. Children with one parent Meitei and the other Kuki are in great danger. I run a trauma response centre in my district and it is extremely busy, a lot of people come. We mostly have people from our own community coming to the center although we sometimes have people from the other community but it’s rare. It is very strange to be dealing with trauma of people who have been displaced by this violence when we ourselves done know whether we will be displaced soon.”
There are no spaces left for unbiased dialogue when there is so much need for it. Everyone is taking sides. Polarisation has reached the level that one can’t talk to friends from the other community with ease, even outside Manipur. There is a long journey ahead to heal this divide.
“IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MANY KUKI OR MEITEI PEOPLE HAVE DIED, THEY ALL ARE PEOPLE.”
The Food And Farmer Crisis
P belongs to the Naga tribe and lives in Noney district, S is a businessman from Tengnoupal and K is a Law student from Kakching
P says “Noney is safe now. Since we stay on National Highway 37, commodities are available but rice price has increased by 200% per quintal. In our district, we grow bananas and sell it to all of Manipur, The decreased demand, bad roads, and risk of crossing certain areas have badly impacted people like me who are solely dependent on banana farming.”
S is very stressed about his business. He says “Our economy is in shambles. Who will help? We are all having a very bad time. Even if we are able to overcome this civil war kind of situation, there will be severe food insecurity.”
K from Kakching says “Even the farmers amongst us are suffering. This is monsoon season, time to plant rice but farmers don’t have money to even buy fertilizers. Even the cost has gone high due to the scarcity, as the national highways our lifelines for necessary supplies are cut off. “
An Atmosphere Of Fear
F belongs to Kakching, M is a teacher from Kamjong district, S is from Imphal East and they all belong to different communities.
F is a resident of Kakching district. He says “Curfew is from 5pm-5am and there is now no violence in my area but I feel it’s better not to go out, I still think that we are not safe.”
M, a teacher from Kamjong shares the same concerns. He says “The government has asked the schools to reopen. Not even 50% of students are attending school. The parents are saying that they are fearful of the present situation. Some parents are saying that for them their life is of primary importance and education is secondary. Is this how Manipur should progress in the 21st century?
S says there are bunkers set up in Imphal by both communities but at present there is no firing. People are even scared to pick up their phones. About the normalcy or the hope of normalcy, he says “I cannot guarantee because anything can happen anytime and I believe unless this fear goes away, there won’t be any normalcy. Right now the only thing we wish to happen is that the firing must stop, at least from what I know, there has not been any firing in the last 3-4 days.”
Deaths And Unclaimed Bodies
SR visited Manipur a few days ago and was appalled to witness the situation in the state.
She says “Over 50 days have passed since the total collapse of Manipur state law and its machinery. Over a hundred lives have been lost, and ten of thousands of people are internally displaced — the actual figures are unknown, as unclaimed bodies remain at hospitals unequipped to hold them. This is only a part of the harsh ground reality reported by many living it — a ban on the internet means that the truth is suppressed, and only a sanitized version of the news can trickle out.”
Despite repeated requests to the Government of Manipur and hospital authorities, access to the dead in morgues in hospitals in Imphal is denied even to date,
Attacks and burnings have happened in many villages. Internet connectivity is still curbed, which goes against an individual right to gain information and form an opinion.
The Conflicts In The Eyes Of Meitei Pangals
K is a law student and belongs to Meitei Pangal community and lives in Kakching district.
He says “I belong to the Meithei Pangal community which is the Meithei Muslim community. My father is serving in Manipur Rifles and is posted for the security of an MLA. We have some agricultural land so we have the basic food we need. We are not for or against either community that is actively involved in the violence. Many people in our community are daily wage workers this situation has been very difficult for them.”
“THE VIOLENCE HAS LED TO CLOSED MARKETS, WHICH MEANS NO WORK, NO MONEY, AND THEREFORE NO FOOD.”
Divisive politics are behind the pathetic war-like condition in the state. We are totally broken, economically, socially, and mentally, we have lost everything.
Students are affected the most. Many Kuki students used to study in Imphal and many Meithei students used to study in the hills. Now what are they supposed to do? Even if they plan on continuing their studies somewhere else, who will give their transfer certificates and how can they afford the additional expenses? Now we have a whole generation of students whose education is very badly affected.
This story was originally published in VOICES OF MANIPUR Newsletter. We are a collective of concerned Indian citizens, who are deeply disturbed and saddened by the distressing events unfolding in Manipur. We believe that there is a need for obtaining accurate and consistent updates about the situation in the state, not just from the mainland but from every corner of Manipur. This initiative aims to fulfill that crucial need. voicesofmanipur@gmail.com.