West Bengal doctor recounts 7-day ordeal during Manipur violence; Read

After hearing about a doctor's seven-day ordeal while stranded in Manipur due to the unrest, anyone would be terrified. Dr. Ahel Bandopadhyay spent seven days stranded in Moreh, Manipur. The news of Dr. Ahel was reported by Asianet News on Sunday. Dr. Ahel was brought back to Kolkata as a result of the Army's and West Bengal's efforts. Dr. Ahel and others arrived in Imphal as part of their postgraduate medical studies at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

On May 3, when she arrived back at the apartments from the hospital, smoke was visible everywhere. When she gets to the canteen, she finds out about the riot. Then the power was cut off. Although the current flow at this location is typical, this instance was abnormal. Smoke was thick in the air, and the fire's crimson light could be seen. The riot got to the hospital rather quickly. Even making a phone call home was impossible when the networks went down. Those who had died and those who had been gravely hurt were arriving at hospitals in greater numbers.

The rebels arrived at the hospital as well, looking for members of the Meitei community. The staff members were forced to hide in various locations. Being unable to call home, the anxiety grew. They finally arrived at the military camp after a few days. Dr. Ahel also recalled that by May 7, attempts were made with the assistance of the state administrations to safely return the citizens of each state back. 60 people died in the Manipur riots, according to Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The rioting resulted in 231 injuries. The fire destroyed 1700 homes. The rehabilitation process has been stepped up, according to Biren Singh's recent announcement.

The All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) organised a solidarity march against a recent Manipur High Court order that asked the Manipur State government to make a recommendation to the Centre regarding the demand to include the Meitei community on the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list on May 3, sparking the start of the violence. The march was organised by Nagas and Kuki tribals. 

The government in Manipur, regardless of which party comes to power, has always been dominated by plainsmen Meiteis, who account for about 53 percent of the state's population and live mostly in irregular oval-shaped Imphal Valley.

Consequently, the government's actions have often been viewed through the prism of suspicion by tribals -- mostly Nagas and Kukis -- who make up 40 percent of Manipur's population and live for the most part in the hills surrounding the valley.

However, no one imagined that it would degenerate into the spiral of violence which engulfed the state often called the jewel of the northeast like a forest fire, killing and wounding scores, forcing thousands of people to flee from their homes and see the central government rushing in large numbers of Army, Assam Rifles and central police forces to contain the situation.