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‘Too little, too late’, Manipuri student on Prime Minister Narendra Modi

'It’s been so long, Kukis are holding on to their ground and so are we, the Meiteis', says Gaurik Kshptrimayum

Kinsuk Basu Kolkata Published 21.07.23, 05:27 AM
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A Manipuri student in Kolkata who has returned home to West Imphal for his session break said on Thursday the Prime Minister’s statement on the violence in his state was “too little and too late”.

“We have heard that the Prime Minister has reacted to the violence in Manipur. But it’s too little and too late,” Gaurik Kshptrimayum, a second-year engineering student, told The Telegraph over the phone.

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“It’s been so long. The Kukis are holding on to their ground and so are we, the Meiteis. By parading women naked, I think the offenders have gone too far,” Gaurik said.

“The Prime Minister should have reacted at the earliest.... What do we have to say? So many lives have been lost. This violence has to stop.”

Gaurik left Kolkata on June 28.

Salam Biramtan, Gaurik’s senior from his home state, who studied in Kolkata till 2019 and now lives with his relatives in Delhi, said: “Everyone appeared to be ignoring the plight of the Manipuris during the early days of violence. That ignoring is still going on.”

This newspaper spoke to the students separately.

Gaurik was more vocal.

He said: “Reports of alleged abuse of women... in a district like Churachandpur, earlier sounded far-fetched. But they now appear to be true given the scale of violence. The state government isnot cooperating with the people. It seems the government doesn’t care about its ownpeople.”

Living in a state of uncertainty, many from Manipur have been struggling to connect with each other because of the ban on internet in the northeastern state.

“Prime Minister ney itna din kuchh nahin bola (The Prime Minister said nothing all these days). Ek shabd bhi nahi bola (Didn’t utter a word). Pata nahin hamare generation ko kya hoga (Don’t know what will happen to our generation),” said Salam, a former president of the Manipur Students’ Association in Kolkata.

“All the schools, colleges and universities (in Manipur) are shut. There are no online classes. A constant fear about sudden bombings reigns.”

A former student of the City College of Commerce and Business Administration, Salam lived in Salt Lake between 2016 and 2019 and has been returning to the city regularly since.

“The Manipuri students are in a state of constant fear and we are unaware of what lies ahead. We are in the dark about what the government plans to do with the state. But the violence must stop,” he said.

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