Numbers of death during the ongoing crisis in Manipur would have been increased by 99 more if there was no peace committee formed under the supervision of MLA K Ranjit, claimed survivors.
The peace committee has emerged as a beacon of hope, rescuing 99 individuals, including nine women and minors, from potential tragedy.
Survivors attribute their survival to the timely intervention of the peace committee, highlighting its critical role in averting further bloodshed.
The harrowing ordeal began on May 3, 2023, when communal clashes erupted, leaving many stranded and fearful for their lives.
These 99 survivors, primarily labourers and their families from various locations in the valley districts, found themselves trapped in the interior parts of Churachandpur district as violence engulfed the region.
With no assurance of safety and dwindling hope of returning home alive, the survivors were sheltered at camps of security forces and other locations with protection from civil bodies.
It was not until May 9, 2023, that their fortunes changed when they were rescued from Kongkhai in Churachandpur by civil bodies operating under the initiative of the peace committee.
However, controversy aroused when Chief Minister N Biren Singh recently on the floor of the House alleged the peace committee as the reason for exacerbating tensions in Sugnu AC started on May 28, 2023 by Kuki militants resulting in the claiming of some lives and arson of many houses.
Refuting the allegation, the survivors held a press conference at Manipur Press Club in Imphal on Sunday.
“We were alive because of the peace committee. Had there been no peace committee, the number of deaths during the ongoing crisis would have increased by 99,” said one of the survivors, Toijam Bimol from Basikhong.
Another survivor, Ingocha Akoijam fromThoubal, echoed these sentiments, stressing that the 99 individuals were labourers and their family members caught in the crossfire of communal strife.
He said their journey from despair to safety was made possible by the collective efforts of civil bodies under the peace committee, who evacuated them to Lalongphai of Sugnu AC, where they finally met MLA Ranjit.
The survivors, whose lives hang in the balance amidst the turmoil, expressed profound gratitude towards MLA Ranjit for initiating the peace committee, a lifeline that spared them from becoming casualties of the ongoing crisis.
