Reveiw compensation amount: Victims to Govt
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 13 2023:
"Victims of the 3rd May Kuki attack" who have been displaced from Moreh, Churachandpur and Sugnu have urged the State Government to revise the amount of compensation it has announced for rehabilitation.
The compensation decided by the State Govern- ment for the victims of the ethnic clash for different categories of properties lost and damaged is insufficient and too small, said the victims.
The Committee on Protection of Meetei Victims, Moreh; Churachandpur Meetei Ethnic Clash Victim Committee and Kha Maikei Kanba Lup, Sugnu held a meeting yesterday and it was decided to appeal to the Government to revise and increase the compensation amount, they said in a joint statement today.
The meeting took several resolutions.
Thousands of houses have been burnt by the Kukis and thousands of people belonging to the Meitei community have been forced out of Moreh, Churachandpur, Sugnu and other places who are now taking shelter in different relief camps.
While most of the houses and properties were left in the custody of the security forces before evacuation, most had been burnt down and looted by July 26.The victims are facing difficulties in estimating the damages, said the victims' committees.
Urging the State Government to help a team of representatives of the victims to travel to Moreh, Churachandpur and Sugnu to witness, understand, identify and make lists of damages caused to their properties, the victims said the Government should review the amount of compensation and arrive at a more rational estimate of the damaged and lost properties.
It may be mentioned that the violent conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis erupted on May 3 during ATSUM's "Tribal Solidarity March", which turned violent at Churachandpur, a Kuki dominated district.
The clashes that followed spread to several districts and forced people of both communities to flee for safety.
The violent clashes and gunbattles between security forces and armed miscreants have killed over 160 persons.