Pastor cries for help as church and theological college get burnt down in Manipur

 The 50-year-old, a Kuki, is among the 5,000 victims of violence sheltering at an Assam Rifles relief camp in Mantripukhuri

The relief camp set up in Cachar by the Assam government for some of the people affected by violence in Manipur.: PTI picture

Umanand Jaiswal, TT, Guwahati, 08.05.23: . L. Thangkholet Khongsai sounded desperate over the phone.

“Please do something.... We want to be shifted to Kangpokpi so that we can be with relatives. Help us shift,” the Imphal-based pastor and teacher pleaded with this correspondent after the customary introduction.

The 50-year-old, a Kuki, is among the 5,000 victims of violence sheltering at an Assam Rifles relief camp in Mantripukhuri on the outskirts of Imphal in Manipur.

Khongsai’s family arrived at the camp on Thursday after a mob burnt down his church, the theological college where he taught, and the quarters he had called home for 20 years. The pastor put up at the camp two days later, after helping other victims.

The conflict in Manipur between the mostly Hindu Meitei majority, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the mostly Christian Kukis, based largely in the hills, has affected both the well-to-do and the poor and taken a heavy toll on life and property.

“My wife and children shifted to the camp on Thursday after a 100-strong mob entered the Kuki Christian Church compound in Imphal City and wreaked havoc,” Khongsai said.

“We had to run for our lives. The security forces couldn’t control (the situation). I shifted to the camp yesterday (Saturday) after taking care of those left behind on the compound.”

Of the around 300 people who lived on the church compound, more than 100 have moved to the relief camp, which is also sheltering members of other tribes, Khongsai said.

He wants to move to Kangpokpi, about 30km from the relief camp in Imphal, where the family has relatives.

“Besides myself, my wife and our three children, we also have 15 relatives in the camp. My sister-in-law is pregnant. Please help us shift,” he said. “I only have the T-shirt and the trousers I’m wearing. We couldn’t save anything.”

Khongsai said he had “secretly” visited the church compound, 7km from the relief camp, once — inmates are not allowed to venture out in view of the security risk. “Nothing is left; whatever was left got looted,” he said.

Khongsai added: “It will be very difficult for us to return to Imphal. Pray for us, pray for peace.”

Khongsai said the camp inmates received two meals a day. He added that over 10,000 people were staying in relief camps in their “own city”.

The violence broke out on May 3 in connection with the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status, which is opposed by the state’s tribal populace, including Kukis and Nagas who enjoy ST status.

Meiteis too have been affected. Around 60km from Imphal, four relief camps in Churachandpur town shelter 5,500 inmates, mostly Meiteis. Churachandpur is a hill district where the Kukis are the majority.

Around 3,800 people, mostly Meteis, are lodged in 27 small relief camps in Bishnupur district, about 30km from Imphal. Bishnupur’s border with Churachandpur is said to be the flashpoint of the current unrest.

The overall situation in Manipur has been improving but it will still take some time for normality to return, authorities say.

The army said that 23,000 people had been “rescued” and moved to the force’s “operating bases/ military garrisons”. Around 7,000 army and paramilitary force personnel have been deployed to control the situation since Wednesday.

The army has enhanced aerial surveillance through drones and redeployed helicopters in the Imphal valley, one of the worst-affected areas along with Churachandpur, Bishnupur and Tengnoupal districts.

Curfew was relaxed in Churachandpur from 7am to noon on Sunday. Curfew will be relaxed in 11 of the state’s 16 districts on Monday, between two and five hours, except Pherzawl, which has a 12-hour relaxation.

The state government on Sunday replaced Rajesh Kumar as chief secretary with Vineet Jain, who had been on deputation to the Centre.

Jain’s is the third major appointment made since Thursday on the “advice” of the Centre to tone up the administration and security.

Kuldip Singh, former CRPF chief, has been appointed security adviser to the chief minister, and additional DGP Ashutosh Sinha appointed the “overall operational commander”. Sinha is working under the guidance of Singh.