RANCHI: Amid violence in Manipur, Celestin Bara, 60, a tribal man who had migrated to the state over 50 years ago at the age of 10, finally returned to his native village in Jharkhand’s Simdega along with his family of 18 — leaving behind everything he had once possessed to protect the life of his Kuki daughter-in-law.
Sharing his ordeal, Celestin explained how they had survived for more than a month in Islaijung village, about 20 km from Imphal, by hiding the women and children in the jungle during the night. However, he was forced to leave as there was a Kuki woman in the family.
Everything was peaceful, Celestine recalled until he heard that the Kuki community in the adjacent village had been attacked by the Meitei. Celestine believed that the situation would improve. But, violence continued unabated.
“It continued for several weeks… About 20 days back when I returned from work in the evening I saw flames of fire in the adjacent village, dominated by the Kukis. I was told that the Meitei community has attacked the village and houses of Kukis had been burnt and many of the women were taken away by them. That incident shook me from inside and I decided then and there to leave the place as soon as possible as we also have a Kuki woman in the family,” said Celestin.
They somehow escaped from Manipur hiding in a truck that used to carry ration for the Army, he added. “At the Manipur border, we were intercepted by the Manipur Police which also had some other armed people, and asked for our identity. All of us got down from the truck and showed them our Aadhaar cards, except my Kuki daughter-in-law, whom we had covered with bed sheets as if it was some household items,” said Celestin. The family took a sigh of relief after four long days when they reached Tumdegi village in Simdega on July 20.
Celestin later learned that his house, along with everything inside, was set on fire after he left. Had they not fled from there, they would've also been killed. According to Celestin, the Meiteis were targeting the Kukis, killing them brutally, besides setting their houses on fire.
Nobody is safe in Manipur as the violence is increasing day by day – Celestin’s daughter-in-law Nag Kholma appealed to the central and state governments for immediate assistance.
“There are a total of 19 people in the family, out of which there are 8 children, seven men and rest are the women. All the children have been admitted to the nearby school and given 2 quintals of rice along with four cots,” said Simdega BDO Ajay Rajak, once the issue was brought to his notice. Work will be allotted to all the adult members under MGNREGA, he added.
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