COCOMI studies resettlement measures
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 27 2023: With the people of Serou starting to go back to their homes, COCOMI held a meeting with the villagers today so as to make the resettlement process complete and successful.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of five student bodies, district administration and officers of security forces who have been deployed in the area.

In the course of the violent aggression which erupted on May 3, Kukis attacked Serou village on May 28 .

As the helpless villagers ran away for life, Kuki terrorists burnt down and/or vandalised all the Meitei houses of Serou including the residence of MLA K Ranjit.

Since then, the people of Serou have been taking refuge in relief camps or places of relatives.

With strong security measures put in place after deployment of BSF, Manipur Police and Assam Rifles in the area, some villagers have started going back to their homes.

With the primary objective of ensuring comprehensive resettlement of the displaced villagers, a public meeting was held today at the premises of Ima Nungthong Lairembi, Serou.

Among others, COCOMI leaders including its coordinator Jeetendra Ningombam, leaders of five student bodies including DESAM, KSA, SUK and AIMS, Kakching DC Somorjit Salam, SP Th Vikramjit, 28 Sector AR DIG Col Thongam Jotin, 37 AR CO Col D Ahlawat and BSF (Mizoram and Cachar Frontier) CO in-charge Praveen Kumar were present at the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Organising Committee, Serou Ima Nungthong Lairembi Relief Camp secretary Th Ingocha said there were 380 Meitei houses at Serou but only 70 houses escaped the Kuki aggression and arson.

So far, around 693 people of Serou have come back and they are currently staying at the relief/resettlement camp opened in the village, Ingocha said.

He said that they are suffering from want of many essential items including warm clothes for the winter.

The displaced are also facing many difficulties in sending their children to school.

The only school in Serou area which is conducting some classes at the moment is United Public School but 12 classrooms, all laboratories and administrative office of the school were torched by Kuki aggressors during the recent violence, he said.

The Government must take up all necessary measures so that the villagers can resettle at their original homes with a sense of security.

This is a common and urgent desire of all the villagers, he said.

In the midst of the raging violence, Serou villagers cultivated paddy on 370 acres and the paddy crops are now ripe for harvesting but the villagers have a nagging fear that Kuki terrorists might attack them as they go to the fields to harvest paddy, Ingocha said.

He then appealed to the Kakching DC, SP, BSF and AR officers to deploy additional forces, make necessary arrangements for proper schooling of children and disbursement of interim relief (monetary aid) at the earliest.

He further appealed to the district administration to take up necessary measures so that the villagers can cultivate Rabi crops.

Jeetendra Ningombam said that COCOMI, at first, was not sure whether it should intervene into the violence as it was between two communities.

COCOMI jumped into the issue only after the narco-terrorists openly declared their intention to break up Manipur and create a separate administration, said the coordinator.

Since then, COCOMI has been standing firm against all acts of terrorism unleashed by the narco-terrorists upon Meitei people, he said.

The people of Imphal and other valley areas were deeply hurt when the Meitei people settled in fringe areas like Serou were attacked by narco-terrorists.

All the people need to be prepared for both psychological and physical warfare in order to defend themselves from narco-terrorists, Jeetendra said.

It is the Government which should protect its citizens.

That was why, Kakching district came to Serou and extended a helping hand to help resettle villagers at their original homes, he said.

Saying that wars have devastating impacts on the economy, Jeetendra announced that COCOMI would launch Green Revolution related activities in areas affected by the violence in consultation with officials of Agriculture and allied sectors.

He said that COCOMI facilitated treatment of a large number of people who sustained injuries including 260 who suffered bullet injuries in consultation with different hospitals like RIMS, JNIMS, Raj Medicity etc.

DC Somorjit Salam said that the Kakching district administration would provide all possible assistance towards resettlement of Serou villagers at their homes.

He further informed the gathering that a proposal sent by the State Government for financial assistance has been approved by the Centre.

SP Vikramjit said that Manipur Police, BSF and Assam Rifles have been coordinating to ensure peaceful resettlement of Serou villagers.

He appealed to the villagers to inform police if they see any lapses or loopholes in the security arrangement.

After the meeting, leaders of COCOMI, student bodies, Kakching DC, SP and officers of BSF and Assam Rifles made a spot assessment of the security measures taken up in Serou and surrounding areas.

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