New Delhi: As the violent ethnic clashes in Manipur entered one year on Friday, over a dozen Meitei families of those missing victims urged the Government of India, the State government and the Kuki community to facilitate the return of their loved ones if they are still alive, or their bodies otherwise.
This allows them to perform the last rites, bringing closure to the missing incidents and enabling the perpetrators to be brought to justice. If the bodies are untraceable, there is an immediate requirement for the concerned authorities to declare the missing persons as untraceable and issue certificates accordingly, RK Bijyalakshmi, President of SOULS (Souls Offered Unitedly for a Lusterated Society), said during a press conference here on Thursday.
To ameliorate the sufferings of the families who are parents, wives, or kith and kin of the missing persons, tracing out the remains or whereabouts of the missing persons is a must, she added.
During the present unrest which began on 3rd May last year in Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated area, at least 31 Meiteis have been missing without any trace of their whereabouts. Nearly 300 people of both the Meiteis and Kukis have been killed and thousands are rendered homeless and are seeking refuge at various relief camps across 11 districts of the state.
The voices:
Atom Kavita, 47, wife of Atom Samarendra, a former journalist missing since May 6, 2023, along with Yumkhaibam Kiran Kumar, says, “My husband was among the first persons to have gone missing. I have performed the last rites as per our tradition by using Pangong tree leaves in place of his body. However, the bitter truth is there is no closure and I can’t find peace. Deep in the corner of my heart, I still believe my husband is alive somewhere and I still long for his return because he had helped the Kukis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Kuki villagers have deep respect and love for him. I can’t believe they would kill a person who helped them in their dire needs.”
Phijam Ibungobi, 63, father of Phijam Hemanjit ( 20 years old) went missing and the picture of his dead body along with Hijam Linthoungambi, a minor ( 17 years old) surfaced at the end of September 2023. They both went missing on June 6, 2023.
Yaikhom Bidya, 13, is today an orphan. She was desperately fleeing along with his father Yaikhom Nanao, 39 from Moreh Ward No 9, on May 3, 2023 when a mob of gun-wielding Kuki Militants attacked the minority Meitei colony. “We were hiding in a bush. It was night and dark. I have never seen it.
Ninghthoujam Premlata, 47, mother of Ningthoujam Anthony (19 years) who went missing on November 5, 2023, says, “It breaks my heart every day thinking how they would have tortured my son before killing him in their custody in cold blood. He was not a security personnel or a village volunteer or involved in any violence. He was just a young boy who unknowingly crossed the buffer zone during a joyride. Had the Police and Central Security manned the buffer zone, he would have been with me today. Even today, I hope that someone would call me saying my son is found alive and that is why I always keep my mobile with me so that I don’t miss a call.”
