Help for injured students by students in Manipur
- 24th October 2023 -

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Iriraj Sougrakpam : Help for injured students by students in Manipur

Hundreds of students in Manipur have come forward on their own generously and contributed a collective fund to lighten the burden of medical expenses borne by families of students who are the victims of physical assault by the central and the state forces in an act of fellow students helping each other. These students had protested against the brutal killing of two students by the armed Kuki militants.

The funds collected are for the students physically harmed by the armed forces using lethal weapons. They got injured in the mass protest against the abduction and cold-blooded murder of Linthoingambi Hijam (17) and Phijam Hemanjit (20) by the Kuki narco-terrorists.

About 3000 students of Comet School, Sika Higher Secondary School, Brilliance School, Xtra Edge School, St Stephen Higher Secondary School, Imprint Science Academy, Standard Robarth Higher Secondary School, ACI (Advanced Coaching Institute), Kindergarten Montessori School, Human Resource Development Academy (HRD) and Competitive Success Academy have consolidated the contributions they have made at their respective schools. The contributions reached an amount of Rs 1,55,750. The exact amount was shared with the severely injured students.

Jotin Wahengbam : Help for injured students by students in Manipur

The details of the amount received are as follows:

Rs 39,600 from Comet School, Rs 3,400 from Sika Higher Secondary School, Rs 11,000 from Brilliance School, Rs 52,000 from Xtra Edge School, Rs 2,000 from St Stephen Higher Secondary School, Rs 20,700 from Imprint Science Academy, Rs 6,500 from Robarth Higher secondary school, Rs 500 from ACI (Advanced Coaching Institute), Rs 3,400 from Kindergarten Montessori school, Rs 6,650 from Human resource development academy (HRD) and Rs 10,000 from Competitive Success Academy.

The amount handed over to the four injured students on 16thand 20th of this month, i.e, 16/10/2023 & 20/10/2023:
1. Kishan Loitongbam of Yairipok, with a critical injury with 40 pellets in his arm, was given an amount of Rs 1,00,000.
2. Jotin Wahengbam of Lilong Arapti, with lower severity of blunt trauma in his liver, was given an amount of Rs 35,750.
3. Iriraj Sougrakpam of Uripok Achom Leikai, with a critical injury to his leg, was given an amount of Rs 10,000.
4. With a low severity, Thokchom Lemenson of Phoubakchou Awang Leikai got injured from pellets on his chest and leg and was given an amount of Rs 10,000.

Kishan Loitongbam : Help for injured students by students in Manipur

The details of the students who received the help are as follows:

1. Kishan Loitongbam is from Yairipok Angtha Mamang Leikai, studying at Thambalnu School, Yairipok, and got hurt at Yaiskul on 27thSeptember. He got severely injured on his right shoulder due to the armed forces’ use of lethal weapons on students in protest against the killing of the students Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit by the Kukis. Sixty pellets have been removed from him; another 40 haven't been removed. Furthermore, his treatment is yet to be done.

2. Jotin Wahengbam of Lilong Arapti, studying at Urup Hr. Sec School got injured on 26thSeptember. Bullet pierced his liver. Upon the students’ first visit on the 16th of September, he was doing much better, but on the second visit, which happened on the 20thof September, he was found crying in pain that he could not breathe; he was having problems with his stomach. He was taken to Raj Hospital by the students.

3. Iriraj Sougrakpam from Uripok Achom Leikai, studying at Johnstone Higher Secondary School, got hurt on 26thSeptember. He got injured on his legs from rubber bullets while protesting the death of the two students, Hemantjit and Linthoingambi. His treatment was done in RIMS Hospital, and he stayed there for eight days. Upon returning home, his leg got an infection, and due to his family condition, he visits the hospital from home daily and is under treatment for it.

4. Thokchom Lemenson of Phoubakchou Awang Leikai, studying at Kha Manipur College, got hurt on 27thSeptember while protesting at Yaiskul, Moirangkhom. He was shot in the face near the eye with 13 pellets and treated at Shija Hospital.

Lemenson Thokchom : Help for injured students by students in Manipur

Words from the students of the 11 schools who helped the injured students:

"We are a community of students from eleven different schools, namely, Comet School, Sika Higher Secondary School, Brilliance School, Xtra Edge School, St Stephen Higher Secondary School, Imprint Science Academy, Standard Robarth Higher Secondary School, ACI (Advanced Coaching Institute), Kindergarten Montessori school, Human Resource Development Academy (HRD) and Competitive Success Academy who have come together in unity. We are so grateful to everyone who came forward without affiliation or persuasion to help the injured students. All the contributions and campaigns were done to help our fellow injured students. It is to be obliged to all the concerns that this community will be dissolved as soon as the crisis ends," said the students.

About the two students killed, the protests, and the excessive use of force against unarmed students:

Hemanjit and Linthoingambi are two students who went missing on the 6th July during the ongoing conflict. On September 25th, the photos of their lifeless bodies surfaced on social media. They have been abducted and killed by the Kuki armed miscreants. Their bodies are yet to be found in Kuki-dominated areas.

The brutal murder of the two students has led to massive protests by the students in Imphal and other valley districts on September 26th and 27th, demanding immediate justice. In order to suppress the protest, both central and state armed forces used life-threatening weapons such as pellet guns and rubber bullets, which is inhumane. The UN's basic principle on using force and firearms prohibits using inherently dangerous and life-threatening weapons that can cause fatal injuries such as blindness, physical impairment, and even death since pellets tend to pierce into different body parts.