Nation salutes 22 young bravehearts

On August 2, 2011, Stripleasemen woke up to see his cousin, 28-year-old Bremmingstar Mylliem, go on a killing spree. Bremmingstar killed his parents and younger sister. Stripleasemen woke up his 11-year-old cousin. Kicking the door open, Stripleasemen dragged his cousin to a neighbour’s house and saved her life. The villagers came and apprehended Bremmingstar and handed him over to police.

Renu

Another of the bravehearts, Renu, put an end to the repeated abuse of residents of her shelter home. Renu approached a helpline who put her in touch with the Child Welfare Committee. After being apprised of the conditions at the shelter home by Renu, a team of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights conducted a night-long operation at the shelter. The extent of the abuse at the house — psychological and physical — as well as the corporal manner in which punishment was meted out to its residents, was exposed due to Renu’s efforts. Renu was given the Geeta Chopra Award for her courage.

Koroungamba Kumam

In yet another display of exemplary courage, seven-year-old Koroungamba Kumam rescued his sister from a fire on the night of July 11, 2011, in Manipur. As the quilts and mattresses caught fire, Koroungamba woke up to the acrid smell. Taking stock of the situation, he quickly covered his sister’s bed with thick clothes, raised the alarm and later shifted her to a safer place. While he managed to save his sister, Koroungamba suffered serious burn injuries to his arms and legs.

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