Manipur students share their ordeal amid the going tension in the state

Even after a month, the students are traumatized and in a state of shock as they remember their days in the hostel when violence escalated in the state

The medical students in Manipur are the worst affected amid the ongoing turmoil in Manipur.

Even after a month, the students are traumatized and in a state of shock as they remember their days in the hostel on campus when violence escalated in the state.

The peace in Manipur was tempered after an ethnic clash broke out in the region on May 3.

Northeast Live caught up with the students of various universities as they shared their ordeals since the violence started in the state.

Narrating how her house was vandalized and looted, a postgraduate student of RIMS Imphal said, “When the incident broke out, our house was the first to be attacked in the supermarket. I lost all my certificates, documents, and books, and everything was vandalized and looted. I’m out of my mind at what happened in my house. As per the direction of the directorate, I could continue my DRP post in Churachandpur here. It will be completed on July 10, but I really don’t know what I will be up to after that. Will I be safe to go back to Imphal or will there be any other alternative to continue my academics?”

The student appealed to the central government and the National Medical Council (NMC) to find a way out so that the students could continue their studies.

“We are not willing to go back to Imphal until we are really safe,” the student added.

Another second-year student of MBBS at RIMS Imphal, sharing how they escaped the hostel and the tension escalated, said, “On the night of May 3, when the problem escalated, we asked for protection from our director, but then we didn’t get enough protection, especially from the boy’s hostel. Even our church, where we used to worship together, was being burned down. We don’t find it safe to stay there anymore. We are surrounded by people; bombs blast everywhere, so how can we feel safe?”

“On May 4th, we didn’t feel safe, so we ran around in the ward pretending like we were going for a round; that’s how we were escaping. And then some of the CRPF personnel came to escort a patient; that’s how we entered their truck and went to the CRPF battalion. So going back to Imphal is not an option for us anymore. We would like to request that NMC, the central government, look into our matter,” the student further added.
The students also shared their dissent over RIMS resuming classes in mid-June as the situation in Manipur still remains volatile.

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