We slept with our shoes on while men guarded us all night, fearing the mob could attack us anytime. I still dream of those horrifying days, a female Kuki student who made a narrow escape to Delhi on May 14, from the strife-torn Manipur said while speaking to FE Education Online. “Not everyone got the chance to leave. We might have been able to escape physically, but mentally we are tormented for a lifetime,” she added. The student spoke to FE Education on the condition of anonymity. (As Manipur is undergoing communal tensions, FE Education has not revealed identity of women students, keeping their safety in mind)
Kuki students say the violence in Manipur has affected their peace of mind, because of which they are not able to concentrate on their studies. They constantly fear for the lives of their families stranded in the valley. “Studies are the least of our concerns right now; it’s about survival. How can we study if our homes are burning,” said a female Kuki student, a UPSC aspirant, who has been preparing for the exam in Delhi.
Even though the government opened educational institutions in Manipur earlier this month, parents are not able to send their children to schools and colleges amid the clashes and financial constraints. “The violence has destroyed crucial educational infrastructure in Manipur. Students who were preparing hard for government jobs are now forced to take up private jobs to support their families,” a research scholar and member of the Kuki student organisation said.
However, many of these students have been struggling to crack interviews with an incomplete degree. “Children lost their books and uniforms in the violence. Many research scholars have lost their years of hard work saved in their laptops in the attack on our homes,” said another student who was forced to flee to Chandigarh due to the violence.
Furthermore, students said that the Internet blockade by the government in Manipur has made their situation worse. They are struggling with limited funds and resources as their parents are not able to send them money due to the shutdown.
Meanwhile, the tension in Manipur appears to have created a rift between students from the two communities outside the state. “My Kuki friends have turned against us because of the viral video that showed some men from our community committing a heinous crime. One should not generalise the entire community because of that,” a Meitei student said.
Over 60 Meiteis had to leave Mizoram after a video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by Meitei men went viral on social media platforms causing public outrage. “Justice is not complete by only punishing the perpetrators, we must help the victim rehabilitate,” the student added. Furthermore, students feel it will take generations to undo the trauma caused by the clashes.
Violence erupted in Manipur between the Meiteis and Kukis on May 3 and has taken the lives of nearly 160 people till now. Women have been at the bearing front of this clash.