Where's Mama? Family torn apart by Koutruk drone attack
Source: Chronicle News Service / Sonia Sorensangbam

Imphal, September 06 2024: September 1 will forever remain etched in the heart of Ngangbam Ingo, as it was on this day that his world was torn apart by an act of violence no family should be ever made to endure.

His wife, Surbala, lost her life, and daughter, Rosia, was left injured after Kula militants launched an attack on Koutruk village, sending shockwaves through the community and deep sorrow into Ingo's heart.

What followed was a cascade of heartache, confusion, and a struggle to keep the family intact as Ingo grapples with the pain of loss, and the challenge of protecting his children's fragile emotions.

Ingo's grief is compounded by the sight of his son, Mahesh, a 9-grade student, who makes his mother's bed every day, as if by some miracle, she might return.

Every time Mahesh stands in front of the empty bed, staring at the place where his mother once slept, Ingo's heart breaks even more.

His son sobs silently, unable to process the enormity of the loss.

Ingo, caught between his own sorrow and the need to be strong for his children, feels utterly helpless.

"Watching my son standing there in silence, making the bed, I feel like the world has collapsed.

He looks so lost" .

Ingo shared with The People's Chronicle, his voice heavy with grief.

On the other hand, Ingo has been reluctant to visit his 13-year-old daughter, Rosia, in the hospital, where she is recovering from a gunshot wound.

The thought of facing her and explaining what happened to her mother weighs heavily on him.

The last time he visited her, on that fateful day, Ingo did not have the heart to tell his daughter that her mother was gone.

Instead, he consoled her that Surbala had been shot in the leg and was undergoing treatment.

But Rosia, wise beyond her years, saw through the lie.

"Papa, don't lie to me.

I know she was hit in the head," Rosia had said, her voice trembling but firm.

Hearing this, Ingo collapsed from shock, unable to bear the truth that his daughter already knew.

He found himself at home after regaining consciousness sometimes later.

Since that day, Ingo avoided visiting Rosia.

He spends his days and nights in tears, unsure of how to console his children, paralysed by grief, and overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation.

In the quiet hours of the night, he grapples with the cruel reality - his wife is gone, and his daughter is struggling to heal, both physically and emotionally.

Reflecting on the events of that tragic day, Ingo shared the details of the attack that tore his family apart.

The morning had started like any other, with Surbala preparing to visit their son Mahesh, who was staying at the school boarding.

He had prepared a chicken dish and they went to the school.

Upon returning, their daughter Rosia, along with her cousin, insisted on visiting Surbala's maternal home.

Surbala, as loving as ever, agreed to take her daughter.

Later that day, Surbala called Ingo, her voice tense.

"Heavy firing is going on.

We are ducking.

It might not be possible to return home," she told him over the phone.

Ingo urged her to stay low and be cautious.

A short while later, she called again.

"The firing has stopped.

Let me see if we can return home," she said.

He asked her to be careful and assess the situation before making any move.

That was the last time he heard his wife's voice.

Minutes later, Ingo received another call from his wife's phone, but it was not Surbala on the line but another person, informing him that both his wife and daughter had been hit by bullets - his daughter had been taken to the hospital, but his wife was unlikely to survive.

Frantic with worry, Ingo rushed to RIMS hospital with some locals, but he was unable to see his wife's body in the morgue.

He then went to see his daughter, only to be met with her heartbreaking knowledge of her mother's possible situation, a reality he could not face.

Since then, Ingo has been grappling with his inability to confront the loss or face his daughter's questions.

He has not visited her, too overwhelmed by grief to find the words to explain what happened.

His home in Phayeng now feels like a prison of sorrow, a place where memories of his wife linger in every corner, from the kitchen to the empty bed that Mahesh tends to every day.

Surbala's dream of seeing their son Mahesh to become a bank officer now feels distant and uncertain.

The weight of responsibility has fallen on Ingo, who does not know how he will manage to provide for his family in the wake of this tragedy.

Mahesh, now burdened with grief, has asked to drop out of school to help his father and sister, offering to do menial work to support the family.

This only deepens Ingo's pain.

"He's just a child.

He shouldn't be worrying about these things," Ingo said, tears filling his eyes.

The attack on Koutruk village on September 1 marked a brutal escalation in the 16-month-long crisis in the state, with Kuki militants using long-range assault rifles and drones to drop bombs.

The violence claimed the life of Surbala and left a dozen more injured, including young Rosia.

For Ingo, the tragedy has left an indelible scar - one that even the passage of time may never heal.

As Ingo continues to mourn, he is left with the agonising question of how to tell his daughter the truth about her mother's death, and how to guide his son through a grief that no young boy should have to endure.

For now, Ingo can only watch as his son stands silently before his mother's empty bed, crying for the life that was taken from them.

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