Recent graduates, elderly women - fresh flare-ups in Manipur leave more broken families
On Sunday, Chief Minister Biren Singh said around 40 terrorists were killed as part of the operation in the insecure area, though he did not reveal their identities or the time of death.
Smoke billows from fires amid clashes between armed groups and security forces in Manipur; Tires were burnt and construction materials were piled in the middle of the road by protesters in Imphal.
From a student leader to an elderly woman - many more were claimed injured in the violence in Manipur's hill districts and foothills, although no updated death toll was released by the state.
Among those killed in the latest violence is Jacob Jamkhothang Tuthang (37), who was killed on the evening of May 27 in T Chavangphai village in the hill district of Churachandpur, on the border of the Bishnupur valley.
After violence first broke out in the state, the women, children and elderly of the village were evacuated on their own on May 3. According to Jacob's brother Lunkholet, the village only has men to protect it. He said that Jacob was in Kanching district for a government capacity building training program, but he returned after the violence started.
“Our village is next to a Metei village, separated by an open space On May 27, Jacob and his two friends were on duty as village defense volunteers. Around 5:00 pm, his friends said that there was an explosion and he was shot in the chest. They could not recover the body but told us what happened The next day I recovered the dead body and brought it to Khurachandpur district hospital, he said.
According to Luncholet, Jacob studied at Don Bosco School in Maram till class 10 and went to work in the BPO sector in Chennai before starting work at a mobile repair shop in Tuibung, Churchandpur. He was also the Joint Secretary of the Kuki Student Union - Henglep Unit.
Thangminlun Hakip, 26, a resident of Phayi village in Chandel Hill District, died on May 28 in Thingkongpai village near the district's border with Kaching Valley District, his family said. According to his cousin Holal Hakip, he had gone to Thingkangpai the previous day to visit relatives and friends.
“Late night the village was attacked by armed men, be it civilians or commandos, and he was shot dead,” he alleged.
The body is now at the Churchandpur District Hospital, where Kanglepak Kanba Loop (KKL) had brought the clothes that day.
“His father is the head of Fasi village, everyone knows that he is a student. He recently graduated from MB College, Imphal, said Holal, adding that he was not even a village defense volunteer as he belonged to an interior village.
Among the victims was Lethoei (63), who fled on May 28 from Langching village near Sugnu in Kakching district - the epicenter of the recent violence. Later that day the village was burnt to ashes while there.
His son is the vice-principal of the Christian English Higher Secondary School in Letminlun village and one of about 30 people in the village who are village defense volunteers.
The firing started at around 3:30 am and we fired to protect the village. Women and children were all in the church. We all went back around 11am because the village was surrounded and we thought all the people in the church had been evacuated. Later we came to know that my mother was released.
The family still does not have his body. He said, “We have shifted to Churchandpur, but we cannot go to the village.
A sudden fire also claimed the life of Thangjam Lemba (27), who died in a paddy field near Litanpokopi village on the border of Imphal East district with Kangpokoppi district on May 28 afternoon.
According to his relative, Thanjam Khambatun, the exchange of fire between the security forces and the armed men in the hills started earlier that morning.
“Things calmed down in the afternoon and the firing stopped, but shortly after that, Litanpokopi was set on fire by Kuki terrorists. Our village is nearby, so we went to try and rescue some people But when we arrived, they started firing at us. We ran to hide in the paddy field, he claimed.
