Survivor's Tale: Never thought they would turn on us
Source: Chronicle News Service / Thounaojam Brojendro

Imphal, September 09 2023: "I cannot help myself taking a deep breath when I trace back the past 70 years in Ekou village.

I never thought that the Kukis, whom we used to share the same meals until yesterday, would turn on us today.

At the same time, I feel pity that they are pursuing for an unattainable dream without realising their futile efforts" .

These were the exact words of Wahengbam Thoibi (77) wife of late Manibabu of Ekou Bazar, who is now taking refuge in a temporary shelter home in Sajiwa, far from the comfort of her home.

Thoibi is a courageous and outspoken woman.

She was living a peaceful life deriving joy out of her daily habit of collecting wild vegetables like 'Loklei Pulei' and fishing using a 'long' (traditional fishing kit made of bamboo strips that resembles a fishing hoop).

Being the only child of her parents, they called her Thoibi as they loved and treated her like the legendary Moirang Thoibi.

They shifted from Urup to Ekou when she could barely walk.

She got married at the age of 14 years as arranged by her parents and gave birth to two sons and three daughters.

Ekou is a mixed settlement of Meetei, Nepali, Kuki and Naga.

Mualam Kuki village lies in the North, Ngangpijang Kuki village in the South, Yengkhuman Meetei village in the East, and Thangal Surung village of Thangal community in the West.

Recalling the night of May 3, Thoibi told me that she had dinner and went to bed after preparing tiffin for the next day's fishing trip.

It was about 8 pm when a commotion woke her up.

As she looked through the window, she saw a Kuki mob vandalising and trying to burn two buses of a local resident named Longjam Boynao.

She got out of her house and saw no local Meetei residents except for some pet dogs and cats running.

In the meantime, the Kuki mob started burning a shop that belonged to her next door neighbour Kh Manglem.

Some Kuki youths saw her and they asked to run away.

She ran and hid among some banana plants at a distance.

From there, she ran after passing through the local Laibung and came across personnel of Saikul police station, she recalled.

One of the police personnel told her to calm down and gave a water bottle to drink.

As they asked her to sit inside a car, which they brought along, she feared for her life since all the police personnel were from Kuki community.

She was sure that they would hand her over to the KRA camp located in Ihang Karong, a nearby village.

She told the police personnel that she had to attend nature's call and escaped from them.

Thoibi hid in a pig sty of another local resident, Laishram Chaoba.

From her hiding place, she saw the police personnel searching for her using flashlight besides aiding the mob.

Shortly before sunrise, she got out from the pig sty and scaled the compound wall of a Kuki police officer's house, which luckily was locked and hid in the storeroom used for keeping wooden logs.

As the Kuki mobs were busy looting the abandoned Meetei houses, she came out from there and ran along a stream.

She went to an abandoned house at Ekou Thongkhong and took some rest there.

Upon seeing some police personnel she left the house, ran along the riverbed of Ekou River and reached Thangal village, where she took refuge for two nights.

During her stay in the Naga village, several Kuki youths came searching for Meeteis.

She changed her clothes and never spoke Meeteilol to survive.

There were also four Meetei residents of Ekou in the village.

On May 6, another local resident of Ekou named Koijam Manao (35) came running to the village.

A Naga teacher of the village also rescued four girl students from a school in Ngangpijang village.

The village authority contacted police and all 10 of them were rescued by state security forces on the same day, she said.

Recollecting the ordeal, Thoibi told me that she never lost her wit on seeing the violent Kuki mob, who went on rampage.

She gathered her courage and plotted ways to escape from the marauding mob.

Many of the Kuki villagers of the area were friendly with the Meeteis.

However, there are also some, who always threatened the Meeteis.

They would come for extortion whenever they get wind of a Meetei selling some cattle or paddy.

The government authority also turned a blind eye to these extortion and threat despite repeated appeals, she rued.

Speaking about the ongoing ethic clash between Kuki and Meetei, Thoibi said that it unfortunate for them to turn on Meetei instead of pursuing their issues with the government.

She said that she cannot pardon them for their violence.

At the same time, she feels pity for them seeing their pursuit for an unattainable dream without realising their futile efforts.

After hearing her story and how she escaped that harrowing night, a thought crossed my mind and I wondered Ima Thoibi's courage would not be less than the legendary Moirang Thoibi even if her beauty is no match to her.

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