The ghosts of Manipur
- 3 years of silence, 34 missing lives and crushing agony of families forgotten by the Nation -

RK Bijayalaxmi / Atom Kabita *

The ghosts of Manipur :: Pix - TSE / RK Bijayalaxmi / Atom Kabita

Three years have passed since the flames of conflict first engulfed Manipur on May 3, 2023. For the rest of the world, the news cycles have moved on, and the headlines have faded. But for 34 families, the clock stopped on that dark day.

Today, “SOULS (Souls Offered Unitedly for a Lustrated Society)”, an organization born from the collective grief and resilience of the families of the missing, issues this urgent appeal to the conscience of the Nation.

Our loved ones - the breadwinners, the sons, the daughters, the fathers, and the husbands - did not just disappear; they were swallowed by a conflict they did not create. They were children of this motherland, not outsiders.

Yet, for 1,095 days, their families have been left to wander in a desert of indifference, ignored by the state and undermined by the very authorities sworn to protect them.

The Cruelty of “Justice Delayed”

The legal maxim states that “Justice delayed is justice denied,” but for the families of the 34 missing, the reality is far more sinister. It is Justice Erased.

Zero Compensation : Three years of struggle for survival have passed without a single rupee of State compensation. Families are being told to wait for years of “missing” status before any aid is triggered, while they struggle to put food on the table today.

Official Invisibility : Despite the visits to Manipur by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the President, the 34 missing persons have not been mentioned even once. Their names are absent from speeches and their families are absent from the agenda, as if they simply do not exist.

Bureaucratic Victimization : Instead of providing a way forward, the responsible authorities are dragging these families through a second trauma— a war of paperwork and silence that victimizes them manyfold higher than the initial disappearance.

The Human Cost: A Living Purgatory

Behind every “missing” statistic is a home in ruins. The trauma of waiting for a knock on the door that never comes has left families shattered.

The Children’s Cry : How do you answer a child who asks, “Where is Papa?” when the State refuses to acknowledge he is even missing? These heartwrenching questions remain unanswered, fueling a cycle of depression and trauma.

The Struggle for Survival : With the primary breadwinners gone, mothers and wives are pushed to the brink of desperation, unable to meet the most basic daily necessities of their families.

Mental Collapse : The families are dealing with frustrated, traumatized, and deeply depressed members, living in a permanent state of grief without the dignity of a funeral or the hope of a return.

To Whom Do We Knock?

SOULS questions the responsible authorities :
Where is the way forward ?
Why is the State choosing to punish the victims further by withholding justice ?

These 34 souls were citizens of India; they deserve to be searched for, they deserve to be named, and their families deserve to be supported.

“We are not just fighting for a check or a piece of paper. We are fighting for the soul of our society. If we can forget 34 of our own children as if they were nothing, then we have lost our humanity.” - SOULS Leadership.

A Call to the Nation’s Conscience

We call upon every citizen of this country to look at the faces of these families. We demand that the authorities act immediately to:

1. Grant Immediate Relief : Waive bureaucratic hurdles and provide immediate financial compensation to the 34 families.

2. Break the Silence : We demand an official acknowledgement of the missing from the highest offices of the land.

3. A Path to Justice : Provide a clear, time-bound roadmap for the investigation into their whereabouts.

The time for “monitoring the situation” is over. The time for humanity is now. We will not be silent until every soul is accounted for and every family finds their way home - or finds the justice they are owed.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES, INTERVIEWS, OR TESTIMONIALS:

SOULS (Souls Offered Unitedly for a Lustrated Society)
RK Bijayalaxmi, Representing the 34 Missing Families of the Manipur Conflict
Atom Kabita (Wife of missing Atom Samarendra)
Email: soulssociety2024(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Phone:
1) +91 7005241322
2) +91 9863046993
Location : Imphal, Manipur.