Displaced Meeteis narrate ordeal to Amit Shah
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 31 2023: Displaced Meeteis from Churachandpur, Teng-noupal and Kangpokpi dis-tricts narrated their ordeals to union home minister Amit Shah on the constant threat they faced in their home - town, which, according to them, is overrun by militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government.

On Wednesday, Amit Shah met some representatives of displaced Meeteis from Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi, at Raj Bhavan, Imphal.

During the meeting, one Dr Soibam Sangita, representing Meeteis from Churachandpur district, told the union home minister about how the faced threat from the violent and armed mob in their home, how they escaped with the help of As-sam Rifles and some Kuki neighbours.

She also revealed that Meeteis are required to pay huge sum of money to SoO militant groups for organis-ing religious festivals in their own localities.

Every Meetei family worships their Su-preme God in their home and there are community temples in every Meetei localities, which were all vandalised, desecrated and burned by the mob.

The anned mob also vandalised the lone temple of Radha Govinda and des-ecrated the idol.

As a result, the Meetei Brahmin, who used to look after the temple is still fasting and living on water and tea since May 3, Dr Sangita said while urging the home minister to retrieve the idol of Radha Govinda to save the Brahmin.

She also conveyed wish of her grand-father, who was born and raised in Churachandpur, to resettle in their homestead land till his last breath.

She further placed the appeal for terminating SoO agreement with Kuki militants and take up measures to ensure their resettlement and rehabilita-tion in their own land.

According to Meetei Coun-cil Moreh advisor Ningthouk-hongjam Phulindro all the Meetei houses in Moreh have been torched and their valu-able properties either looted or burnt.

Despite the situa-tion, the Meetei residents of Moreh are still willing to re-turn home and rebuild their lives, he said.

Phulindro also informed the union home minister that people of different religious groups had also fled Moreh following threat from Kuki militants.

Appealing for mea-sures to allow them to reset-tle at their own homes, he urged the union minister to deploy additional state police or IRB in Moreh for safeguard of the Meetei residents.

After hearing the accounts and appeals of the displaced people, Amit Shah assured that the Cen-tral government will never con-sider the demand for bifurcation of the state.

Maintaining that rehabilitation and resettlement will take some time, he assured to instruct the state govern-ment to deploy IRB personnel in Moreh.

Union Home minister also interacted with the displaced people from Moreh who are taking shelter in the relief camp opened in Ideal College, Akampat, Wednesday even as one woman inmate accused AR personnel in Moreh of not com-ing to their rescue when armed Kuki militants started burning down Meitei houses.

Amit Shah on Wednesday visited the relief camp along with chief minister N Biren and Power ministerlh Bishwajit and interacted with the inmates of the relief camp after returning from his visits to Kangpokpi and Moreh.

Presently the relief camp is accommodating dis-placed people from Moreh and Churachandpur.

Narrating her ordeal to the Union Home minister, one woman from Moreh informed Amit Shah that on May 3 when armed kuki militants starting burning down houses of Meitei community, there was none to come to the rescue of the Meiteis.

Even the AR personnel stationed about 2 km away from the Meitei locality, despite seeing the hous-es going up in flames remained as silent spectators and did not care to come to the help of the Meitei victims.

Amit Shah after giving a pa-tient hearing to the ordeals of the woman assured that he will take up all necessary measures for the betterment of all and restore peace and normalcy in the state.

The inmates of the relief camp also expressed satisfaction over the manner in which Amit Shah came to the relief camp and showed his humanely attitude to the displaced and suffering people.

Meanwhile, Romi bag indus-tries proprietor Romi under the initiative of ministerTh Bishwajit provided school bags to the 200 students staying in the relief camp.

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