No home to return: Manipur violence survivors' lament

Press Trust of India

Guwahati: Ten days have passed by since one of the worst ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur, but the memories of it are still raw and painful. Many of the survivors who fled to Guwahati from Imphal say their homes have been destroyed during the violence and they have no place to return to.

Their stories are filled with an unmistakable sense of loss and deep sadness due to the violence, the loss of their homes and the difficult time they spent in the relief camps. Some of them even recounted locking themselves in their homes with mobile phone torches as the only source of light. The clash between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur has claimed 60 lives so far. It left thousands displaced, homes razed to the ground and places of worship destroyed.

Gina, who is in her in late 50s, said she is among the "lucky" few to have fled from violence-torn Imphal and is almost resigned to her fate. She was witness to violent ethnic clashes in her home state for the second time in her adult life. A younger Kan Zou said he and his family members are practically facing a "homeless" existence. His family of four does not know where to return to as their house was torched during the violence.

Mimi, a young woman, said she cannot even think of returning to her home in Imphal. Her husband is still away at trouble-torn Churachandpur, where the violence first erupted on May 3, on work. She is left with the task of looking after her young daughters in a different city