Hahat Chongloi clears her throat, wipes her nose, and says, “We never thought this would happen. There have been skirmishes in the past but the state police were able to control things in a week.”
It is nearing two months since the violence broke out in Manipur between the majority Hindu Meiteis, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki tribal community from the surrounding hills, displacing residents like Hahat.
After escaping from her city of Imphal to Churachandpur, the epicentre of the conflict, she flew to Bengaluru with her husband and four children in May. The family stayed over at her sister’s place initially but after two of her elder children found tech jobs, they moved to a rented home in Lingarajapuram two weeks ago.
“My husband is retired. Using his pension, loans, and money from the sale of our land in the hills, we built a house in Imphal last year. Now we hear it has been looted. Some nights, I can’t sleep thinking of all this,” says Hahat. Rebuilding her life has meant taking more loans to admit her younger children to a school and a college.
No hopes to return
Metrolife met Hahat at a protest by Kuki people in Bengaluru on Tuesday to demand a separate administration for their community. We met a few others from Manipur who have arrived in Bengaluru, shelling out Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 on a flight ticket that used to otherwise cost Rs 8,000. Such as Henchon Doungel.
His family first took refuge at a relative’s house in Guwahati and then flew to Bengaluru to join their son Anthony who works as a software engineer. Anthony has rented a 3BHK house in Horamavu, 16 km from his workplace in Marathahalli. “What to do? The rents near my office are high,” says the 30-year-old.
But Anthony is grateful that some things have fallen into place. A Catholic school that offers free education has admitted his sister. One brother has joined a football academy on scholarship. Another has found a job in tech support. His ailing father likes the weather here.
Anthony’s family left everything behind as the amenities at the relief camps were inadequate for his father. He doesn’t see them returning to Manipur “for a few decades”.
Those who have stuck around have their reasons. “I heard girls are fleeing while men are staying back to defend their land and villages,” Anthony says.
Career change
Richard Neihsial has come out of the strife but left his career behind. “I wanted to be an IAS officer. Now I work at the front desk of a resort in Bengaluru. I was able to bring my Class 10 certificate while fleeing. On that basis, I got the job,” says the 19-year-old who arrived in the city with a bunch of youngsters in July. They were given shelter by a church. Civil society organisations and various ethnic communities from Manipur have been lending a helping hand.
“I miss my family a lot. I will bring them here when I have the money,” says Richard, tearing up.
Meiteis have also suffered losses and migrated. Speaking anonymously, a man in his 40s told Metrolife he used to be a paddy farmer in his state but has taken up a gig as a security guard here. “My parents are arriving today. Soon, I will bring my wife and children too,” he says.
Perilous journey
Some such as Mung Vualnam from the Zo tribe say the escape from Manipur was perilous. He sensed the gravity of the conflict on Day 1 and fled Imphal with barely any belongings. But it took him five days to reach the airport to leave Manipur with his wife, two children under five, and elderly parents.
The family stayed in multiple relief camps. They saw mobs burn down houses and faced road blockades. They slept in the open. They used unclean water to make formula milk for the younger child. The elder child fell ill. Like other interviewees, Mung said they made it safe because of the Indian army and alleged that the state machinery in Manipur was complicit in the violence.
Mung works with a public-private agency and is able to continue his job from Bengaluru for the time being. He says not only his community but also “total strangers” came forward in Bengaluru to arrange things like spoons and an iron box to restart their life. “When my children ask how long we are staying here, I deflect the question,” says Mung, now living in Kacharakanahalli.
STORY SO FAR
The violence erupted in Churachandpur, south of the Manipur capital city of Imphal, on May 3 following a solidarity march by the Kuki tribe to oppose the grant of scheduled tribe status to the Meiteis. Destruction of property, an Internet shutdown and killings followed. A video of two women being paraded naked and molested by a mob in Manipur surfaced in July, triggering nationwide protests. Some fear Manipur is on the brink of a civil war.