One year of Manipur violence: Inside relief camps in Imphal and Churachandpur
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Dear Reader,
On 3 May 2023, when reports of unrest emerged from Churachandpur district in the northeastern state of Manipur, I doubt any of us had any idea that the crisis would spiral into a full-blown civil war.
The ongoing ethnic violence that erupted between the Meitei and the Kuki communities, one year on, has killed more than 200 and displaced more than 60,000 people. The state continues to be cut into two, the Valley and the hill areas. Merely travelling from Imphal to Churachandpur requires crossing a buffer zone which has six checkpoints — Bishnupur Police, Assam Rifles, BSF, RAF, Indian Military, and Assam Rifles again — in a span of a kilometre.
The officers at these checkpoints will tell you that they are used to the sounds of gunshots at any point in the day.
But beyond the violence, perhaps one of the most horrifying aspects of the ethnic conflict is how, for thousands of people, struggling to survive in relief camps is the new normal. Many of us may have read about these camps, but do we really know what they look like from the inside? How people are cramped together?
In mid-April this year, I set out to document, on camera, how they have been surviving. You can watch our full documentary HERE or below:
From minimal access to medical facilities and treatment to sharing a tiny space with dozens of others, these internally displaced people have endured the hardships of relief camps for a year with no signs of betterment in the near future.
Visiting these camps made me understand how this ethnic conflict is about far more than the horrors of gun violence and arson. This conflict is also about those whose lives have been in limbo for a year, about those who have only one hope — to return to some semblance of a HOME.
Of course, I faced a language barrier, given that both communities speak different languages, neither of which are familiar to me. But perhaps the biggest challenge was to convey their hardships in a powerful but sensitive and respectable manner.
Amidst all this, I must iterate that your support matters to us. Stories like these, from the ground, require time and resources. If you’ve followed our coverage of Manipur for the past year, do consider becoming a member HERE.
You can follow our reportage on Manipur here, and on my Instagram and Twitter.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
SAPTARSHI BASAK
Assistant Editor, Op-ed
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