‘On 3 May, around 10pm, we heard people throwing stones at our house. We didn’t understand what was happening. In the morning, we woke up and we were cooking. We saw that there was a frenzy outside. Everyone was walking out of their homes with their bags packed. They asked us why we were still at home and explained the situation. We were scared.’
Runa, Imphal
India’s Manipur State has been engulfed in violence for two and a half months now. Sparked by a protest on 3 May in which an estimated 60,000 people marched in opposition to the Manipur High Court’s request to the state government to send a recommendation to the central government to include the non-tribal Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, the unrest has claimed at least 100 lives, with local sources suggesting that the death toll is significantly higher.
Thousands of homes have been burned down and tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced in a dispute over whether the predominantly Hindu Meitei community should be granted access to the same benefits afforded to the state’s typically more disadvantaged tribal communities.
Runa belongs to the Hmar community, part of the Kuki ethnic group, and until recently lived in the Manipur State capital of Imphal, where violence was first reported amid clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis on 4 May.
He told us: ‘We immediately packed our bags and important documents and walked out of the home. We were told that the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] people will carry the hill tribes to a safe place. Around three batches were shifted. But after that, the Meiteis didn’t let us go. So, we took shelter in a Baptist church compound. In the night, we heard a loud sound. We went to the rooftop and saw that our house was burning and our cooking cylinder had blasted too. It was devastating. We had lost everything.
Early next morning, we tried to run away from where we were hiding. My family and I, we reached the bus terminal. I was carrying a senior citizen on my shoulders. My son and I entered the bus. But it was so packed that my wife and other son were unfortunately left behind. There were no other buses. That day they had to seek shelter in a half-built house.’
Jolly, also a member of the Hmar community, lived in the Churchandpur district in which protests are said to have first turned violent and was also forced to flee her home two and a half months ago.
She recounted: ‘On 4 May, our tribal leaders sat us all down for a meeting. We were told we will not retaliate against the Meiteis and that we will not hurt anyone. That night, we went to bed around 8.30pm. Immediately, some of our neighbours called us and asked us to run and save our lives. The Meiteis had started burning all the houses. The fire was spreading fast. We quickly packed whatever we could find and started running.
My husband, me and kids [sic], including my eight-month-old baby and all our neighbours, we gathered together and started running towards the river. The water level was [up to] our waist. My daughter was covered in water till her neck. We ran across the river and crossed into the next village and sought shelter in a friend’s house for the rest of the night.
On 5 May, we again started walking through the forest. Our plan was to cross the Manipur border and go to the neighbouring state of Assam. While walking through the forest, we had several challenges. One of the women with us had to stop because she was in labour. Some of the women helped deliver her baby and we had to continue walking with the newborn. It was a heart-breaking moment.’
Two and a half months later and there are tens of thousands like Runa and Jolly who remain unable to return to their homes. Reverend Onkho, Co-convenor of the Kuki Christian Leaders Fellowship in Churchandpur, has been involved in responding to what is now a significant humanitarian crisis.
He explained: ‘Data collection has been very difficult. But thousands of people are suffering because the monsoon has begun. People are more prone to diseases now and we don’t have enough medical supplies. Our town is a small town so we don’t have multi-speciality hospitals either. We are facing several gynaec and paediatric problems in the relief camps.
Philanthropic organisations are helping out by providing basic necessities like rice and pulses, but with the huge number of displaced people, the supplies are simply not enough. In Churchandpur alone, there are more than 50,000 displaced people.’
Some, like Runa and his family, have been able to stay with friends and loved ones, but even then their struggles are far from over. ‘We have lost everything,’ he told us. ‘We don’t know how we can restart our lives.’
Others like Jolly remain in under-resourced refugee camps in neighbouring states, unsure of when they will be able to return to their homes, or what will be left for them when they get there. ‘When we first arrived, there were about 500 people. It was very crammed. The Assam government has been supplying food and clothes, but it is not enough for us.
Now, a lot of people have moved on to other states like Mizoram to live with their relatives. So it’s become a little easier. There are probably about 100 people now. But how long will we live here? We don’t know. We are waiting to go back to our homes, but we are being warned against it as the situation is still very volatile.’
Even when they are able to return home, Reverned Onkho emphasises that the impact of the last two months will continue to shape the lives of many of those caught up in the violence for years to come.
He concludes: ‘One of the biggest challenges we have been facing now is that a lot of them are struggling with mental health issues. They have survived huge trauma and it has affected them badly. When we tried to talk to the people in the relief camps, we realised that many of the people are mentally disturbed, they are not talking sense and we are not able to logically communicate with them. This is quite serious because even if things get back to normal, I don’t know how long it will take for the victims to be mentally healed from the trauma.’
Although the Indian government has created a three-member commission to investigate the causes and spread of the violence, the Kuki community fear that this will not be neutral, particularly as there has already been a clear bias in the way the media has reported the violence. Several outlets have attributed the clashes to Kuki militants, while the state’s Chief Minister Biren Singh – who is a Meitei himself – has been quoted as describing members of the Kuki community as terrorists.
The Indian government’s response has so far been inadequate. More must be done to crack down on biased narratives and step-up efforts to foster peaceful coexistence so that this crisis is never repeated. The government must also ensure that people like Runa and Jolly are able to return safely to their homes, and afforded the vital assistance they need to rebuild their lives.
By CSW’s India Desk