Year 2024: Unsolved tragedies, grief and Govt inaction
Source: Chronicle News Service / B Devchandra Sharma

Imphal, December 27 2024: Manipur continues to endure endless crisis, leaving families shattered, communities divided, and the state in near-turmoil.

As violence and unrest situation continue, families of the missing face a daily battle with grief, uncertainty and government inaction.

Laishram Herojit, overwhelmed with sorrow, struggles to speak of his wife, Hentonbi, and their child.

"I knew my wife, child and in-laws were in grave danger, but I could not do anything," he recalls fighting to hold back the tears.

His wife, hiding under a bed with their child, had called him moments before militants broke into their house.

"Her voice echoes in my ears while she was fighting the militants to save our child.

She promised to bring me a new jacket for winter.

Now the only feeling I have in my life is of coldness even in summer," shared Herojit.

Hentonbi had sought refuge at her maternal home in Jiribam district after flying to Silchar on September 25.On November 11, six members of her family, including an 8-month-old baby, went missing from a relief camp set up at Borobekra police station campus only for their lifeless bodies to be found days later, at Jirimukh, the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers.

The state has been grappling with ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, when clashes broke out between the Meetei and Kuki communities.

The violence has claimed hundreds of lives, displaced tens of thousands and destroyed homes, schools, temples and churches.

Allegations of government bias have intensified mistrust between the communities.

In the midst of the turmoil, disap pearances have become a key issue.

Thirty-two official cases have been reported, with 29 Meetei and three Kuki individuals unaccounted for till date.

However, locals and activists believe the number could be higher, as many disappearances go unreported.

Among the most tragic cases are those of Linthoingambi Hijam and Phijam Hemanjit, two young students who went missing on July 6, 2023 .

Their photographs surfaced in September held captive by armed men, followed by images of their lifeless bodies.

Despite arrests made by the CBI, their families still have no closure.

Phijam Ibungobi, father of Hemanjit, pleads for the Kuki community to return the students, if alive, or at least their remains.

Atom Samarendra and Yumkhaibam Kirankumar, both 47, disappeared on May 6, 2023, near Sangaithel Olympian Park in Imphal West district.

Kavita, Samarendra's wife, has been urging authorities to recover her husband's body so the family can perform the last rites.

'We cannot even grieve properly without his body," she says.

Irengbam Chinkheinganba, a 27-year-old UPSC aspirant, and his cousin, 31-year-old Sagolsem Ngaleiba Meitei, also went missing on July 4, 2023 .

Their mothers still wait, hoping against hope for their sons' return.

On November 6, 2023, Avinash Maibam and Ningthoujam Anthony went missing after leaving their homes on a two-wheeler.

Laishram Kamalbabu, a supervisor at the 57th Mountain Division in Leimakhong, also went traceless on November 25, 2024.His family has filed a writ petition in the Manipur High Court, demanding action to locate him.

These cases highlight the ongoing anguish of families still waiting for answers.

The violence has also paralysed the state's economy, with agriculture, handloom industries and tourism in ruins.

Internet bans, curfews and travel restrictions have further isolated Manipur, worsening its economic and social crisis.

Educational institutions remain closed and overcrowded relief camps house thousands of displaced people in dire conditions.

The state government, led by chief minister N Biren Singh, has faced intense criticism for 'mishandling' the crisis.

Allegations of favouring the Meetei community have deepened divisions, while the central government's interventions have been sporadic and insufficient.

Paramilitary forces have also come under scrutiny for excessive use of force and human rights violations, further eroding trust in the authorities.

As families of the missing continue their search for closure, the future of the state remains uncertain.

"Peace cannot be imposed; it must be built, brick by brick, with trust and compassion," says one of the grieving fathers, as the state approaches a new year filled with grief and unfulfilled hopes for justice.

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