Violence continues in the northeastern state shaken by ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Kuki peoples. Another nine people died yesterday in the town of Aigejang, in a “mixed” area near Imphal. There are already more than 100 official deaths since the clashes began in early May. Youngsters who came to Karnataka will be supported to study and find work. Bishop Machado: “Welcoming is our way of showing solidarity with those who suffer.”
Bangalore () – The Archdiocese of Bangalore has offered refuge and support to a group of students and young workers displaced by the escalation of ethnic tensions and violence in the Manipur valley, which has lasted for more than a month and is taking new victims.
Under the leadership of Jesuit Fr. James Beipei, a Bangalore priest originally from Manipur, these children and young people sought safety and found solace in the archdiocese. Meeting with them, Archbishop Peter Machado assured them that they could continue their studies in Bangalore’s Catholic educational institutions free of charge and with reception structures. The prelate expressed his solidarity with the affected and displaced people of Manipur and confirmed the willingness of the entire archdiocese to care for these displaced people.
The p. Beipei explained the challenges facing Christians and other Manipur residents amid resurgent communal tensions in the state. As places of worship, institutions and homes are vulnerable to attack, Fr. James found it necessary to move the young men to Bangalore.
Luni, a young woman from Manipur, described the severity of the recent riots, saying it was greater than any civil conflict she had witnessed before. She said that she found relief and protection in Bangalore, where people welcomed them.
Kennedy, one of the displaced students, recalled the heavy shootings during the Governor’s visit and the fear his parents still face in Manipur. He also expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Machado for having welcomed them and for his help in finding work.
Meanwhile, the official toll of the clashes in Manipur has risen to more than 100 dead, while 60,000 people have been displaced to 350 refugee camps. The latest casualties date back to last night, when nine people were killed and 10 injured in a new episode of violence in the village of Aigejang, located on the border between the Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts, in an area inhabited by both the Kuki and for the meitei.
Violence also erupted in the Kangpokpi, Imphal East and Churachandpur districts on Monday, leaving one dead and nine injured in separate incidents. On Friday, three people were killed and two wounded when an armed gang of 20 suspected Meitei attacked the Kuki village of Khoken. A few days earlier, two women and an injured child were burned inside an ambulance on its way to hospital escorted by the Imphal West Police Chief.
