Imphal : People uprooted by the ongoing communal violence are suffering at the Thongju Kendra Relief Camp in Akhampat, Imphal East district of Manipur. Following the Tribal Solidarity Peace Rally of the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur on May 3, an arson assault destroyed all of the minority community’s houses and shops in the international border town of Moreh.

Around 720 displaced individuals from Moreh and Churachandpur are staying in this relief camp in Akhampat. Ningthoujam Tilo Devi and her two children, Prithviraj, 5, and Zerina, 10, are among them. In fact, this family of three had first sought safety in Tamu, Myanmar after fleeing across the border. They ultimately made it to Imphal by joining the evacuation arranged by the Assam Rifles. 

The broken family’s reunion with Chongtham Joy, Tilo’s husband and the father of the two small children, made coming here a life-changing experience. The kids as well as Tilo were overjoyed to be reunited with Joy at the relief camp.

As Tilo is caring for the children, Joy, a freight truck driver, has made the decision to go back to work in order to support his reunited family. Tilo claims she wants to go back to Moreh and resume her grocery shop at the Moreh Hospital. A desire that was expressed to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah when he visited the relief camp during his 3 days Manipur visit.

Like most displaced families, Tilo and her family are clueless about how they are going to restart their life. Also, whether they are allowed to return to their native place that is, Moreh. She hopes she can resume her grocery shop with a little financial assistance from the government.