Documentation report on IDPs released
Survivors' tale recorded for posterity
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 23 2024:
An audio-visual documentation of a pilot project on documentation and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons of Manipur in the present crisis was released today by Manipur University Vice-Chancellor Prof N Lokendra.
The project was undertaken by the Department of Mass Communication, Manipur University.
It is available with the department for reference both in hard copy and audio-visual format, with English subtitles and translation.
The pilot project was officially launched on July 16, 2023, and the department filmed testimonials and interviews from July 17 to September 7 .
The testimonials and documentaries were filmed by the fourth and second semester students of the department of the 2021-2023 and 2022-2024 batch.
In total, testimonials of 76 internally displaced persons from different parts of the State have been included, along with six documentaries, including two documentaries filmed by the fourth semester students as part of their practical assignments.
Relief camp inmates interested in being trained in smartphone filming were provided with smartphones and requested to document the lives of the people in the camp from their perspective.
According to Prof N Lokendra Singh, the project will be a crucial historical record for researchers, historians, and citizens interested in understanding the tragic consequences and human suffering caused by the present crisis.
MU Registrar Prof W Chandbabu Singh said that the documentation will add to the knowledge repository for future research and records.
Dean of School of Social Sciences Prof Th Purnima Devi said that this documentation would serve not only as an archive but also as a profound resource for future generations, offering a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of what will indisputably be remembered as one of the darkest periods in the history of Manipur.
The villagers said any order issued to withdraw the State police personnel from the village must be revoked for safety and security of the village.
In the absence of the State police personnel, the village may face attacks from the Kuki militants anytime, they said.