‘Seen death from close quarters’: Residents of Jiribam recount horror
Confirming the influx of residents that have crossed the border and taken shelter in the Lakhipur subdivision of Cachar district, Assam police officers said a majority of the 800 people crossed the border between Friday and Monday night.
For a while, a 55-year-old woman had thought that the worst was behind her. Since May 2023, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence that has ebbed and flowed, but never fully stopped. More than 200 people have been killed and 50,000 displaced.
And yet, through all that time, the woman, who did not wish to be identified, continued to brave the situation, refusing to leave her home in Uchathol village in the state’s Jiribam district. Then on June 6, a fresh surge of violence that hit the area, precipitated by the brutal murder of a 59-year-old resident. All of a sudden, Jiribam was aflame, and the woman found herself among around 800 residents that fled to neighbouring Cachar district in Assam, where they have taken refuge in the homes of families and friends.
“I have seen death from very close,” she said.
Confirming the influx of residents that have crossed the border and taken shelter in the Lakhipur subdivision of Cachar district, Assam police officers said a majority of the 800 people crossed the border between Friday and Monday night.
Cachar superintendent of police Numal Mahatta said that the people come from across communities — Kuki, Hmar, Rongmei and Meitei — and the state forces have deployed additional police and security forces in the area. “We know there is tension in the neighbouring state and we are allowing them to take temporary refuge here. But we have to be careful of any tension in our district,” he said.
Robinson Hmar, a resident of Jiribam’s Jairul Pukpi Punji area, said his mother was unwell but they had little option but leave home with violence spiralling. “We rented a car to reach an area near the Barak river on Friday night. We then found a boat which took us to Phoolertal in Assam. We are now staying at a shelter camp in Hmarkhawlien,” Robinson said.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has instructed the local officials to make a list of people who have entered the state from Manipur and asked the police to take immediate action if anyone is found carrying weapons. “Honorable CM is monitoring the entire situation...,” Mahatta said
