FROM gruesome beheadings to the gang-rape of teenage girls, a city in India has become a blood-soaked war zone plagued by ethnic violence.
Hundreds of people were brutally killed after clashes broke out in Manipur, India, in May.
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Hundreds of people were brutally killed after clashes erupted in Manipur in MayCredit: AFP
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The divide between Kukis and Meiteis is deep with devastating consequences Credit: Reuters
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New riots erupted over the death of two students in the countryCredit: Reuters
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The injured woman was taken to a hospital in Manipur’s Bishnupur districtCredit: Reuters
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Entire villages and towns were burned by wild militants Credit: AP
The once peaceful areas are now unrecognizable as savagery between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribe spirals out of control, leaving the country on the brink of civil war.
Horrifying claims of beheadings, gang-rapes of women and children and people being burned alive are now coming out of Manipur at an alarming rate as the government restores access to internet services.
Ruth – a Kuki woman whose name has been changed for her own protection – said she barely escaped with her life after she and her family were targeted by an armed mob.
Her life changed forever on May 3 when her home was ambushed.
More on the conflict in India
The mother of two, a civil servant, had just finished work when her husband called her and made her come home.
She was preparing dinner for her husband and daughters aged seven and five when they heard the sounds of tear gas and explosions nearby.
The 42-year-old told The Sun: “They started shouting and there were huge noises from the main road.
“I could hear the sound of tear gas, the sound of bombing buildings, exploding cylinders. I could hear everything.”
Meitei militant groups could be heard shouting that they were going to “kill” the Kuki people and set them on fire, Ruth said.
Ruth turned off all the lights in her home and hid with her husband and two terrified girls until the early hours of the morning when the “terrible” sounds began to subside.
Their church, located only 200 meters from their house, was set on fire.
Ruth’s family listened as it burned through the night, and in the morning they escaped with only the clothes on their backs.
They ransacked their house and stole their passports, bank cards, clothes, sofa, freezer and television.
Conflicts between the Meitei and Kuki peoples are believed to have erupted over a land dispute.
Violence broke out and houses were burned as Kukis protested Meitei demands that would have allowed the majority group to buy land in the hilly areas of Manipur, currently occupied by the Kukis.
The atrocities still faced by the people of Manipur are hard to digest.
In July, Ruth said a member of her community named David Thiek, 31, met a horrific end when his village, Langza, was attacked by “militants”.
Choking on her words, she said, “He was in his house and the Meitei militant groups… got there. They chopped off his head.
“First they cut off one of his arms, a limb. And then they shouted ‘where is your hand? Just go and search.’
“And then they cut off his other hand, then they cut off his legs… and then they cut off his head.”
The harrowing photo shows a man carrying Thiek’s severed head in one hand and a machete in the other, while footage shows his bloodied, battered head stuck on a fence.
The unrest continues to rock the country, which is now unofficially divided into areas controlled by the two communities.
Even with the help of nearly 10,000 troops from the army and the Assam Rifles, the local police could not maintain peace.
Just this week, shocking photos emerged of two students – a girl, 17, and a man, 20 – who went missing in July.
One image shows a girl sitting with another student next to her holding a backpack in what appears to be a makeshift jungle camp.
Two men with weapons can be seen behind them.
In the next photo, the bodies of the students are lowered to the ground.
The Manipur government said in a statement that work was underway to “identify the perpetrators who killed the two students”.
Sources reportedly told local media outlet NDTV that investigators are also looking into allegations that the junior student was raped before she was “killed”.
Through tears, Ruth recalled the morning she was forced to flee her home of two years.
Her family offered to drive as many people as would fit in their car to the airport – but left behind one man who assured them they would get help.
“We found out that shortly after we left, maybe about 10 to 15 minutes, the Meitei… started vandalizing and looting whatever they wanted from my assigned quarter,” Ruth said.
“Before his own community came and rescued the person, the Meitei militant group entered our campus and confiscated his identity card.
“They found out he was a Kuki, so they robbed his apartment, then there was a mob and then they burned him alive.
“I feel so sorry for that person.”
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In a video shared on social networks, burnt vehicles can be seen
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Deadly violence erupted in Manipur in May, but continues to rage today
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Homes across the country were set on fire – leaving thousands displaced
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Two Manipuri students reportedly killed amid ethnic violenceCredit: Twitter
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Houses are ransacked, things are stolen before finally being set on fire
Ruth has been struggling with overwhelming guilt ever since she left the man.
Her family spent two days at the airport before taking the first flight to the city of Guwahati where they remain today.
“Manipur is burning right now,” said Ruth.
“Churches are all burned, people don’t get medicine, there are no schools and normal education… especially in hilly areas.
“It’s a whole other world.”
Ruth recently learned of another alleged callous attack on tribal people of Manipur, including a woman in her 40s and another in her 20s, believed to be mother and daughter.
She explained: “Two Kuki women paraded naked and were gang-raped by the Meitei.
“It was terrible. I can’t eat the food, it’s just too much to take.”
The father and 19-year-old brother of the younger Kuki-Zomi woman were allegedly beaten to death.
The elderly woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, sobbed and told the BBC: “Seeing how they treated my daughter, after my husband and son were killed, made me want to die.
“My husband was a church elder. He was quiet and kind. His hands were cut with knives.
“My son was in the 12th grade, a gentle boy who never fought with anyone. They beat him brutally with rods.
“He was killed because he was running after them [the mob] to try to save his sister. My daughter has not recovered.
– They were killed in front of her.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the tragedy as harrowing footage of the alleged attacks began to circulate – saying it had “disgraced India” and that “no one guilty will be spared”.
After the video went viral, seven people were arrested.
Ruth believes Meitei militants came to her village posing as state government employees for a “census” just weeks before her home was attacked.
She claimed that they marked the entrance to each of Kuki’s houses with a red dot.
Kukis and Meitei are now banned from entering areas dominated by the other group.
But Ruth said many of her Kuki friends were still defending their land from “shooting” by militant Meitei people or hiding in makeshift shelters.
The Sun has contacted Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, Manipur Police and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for comment. They did not respond.
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Armed mobs rampage through the Indian state leaving a trail of destructionCredit: AFP
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Peaceful protesters reportedly faced police violence on WednesdayCredit: Twitter – @VidarbhaaTimes
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Police officers detain a woman during a protest against violenceCredit: AP
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X user @MahuaMoitraFans said ‘Manipur needs attention’Credit: Twitter – @MahuaMoitraFans
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Protesters shout as they burn effigies of Indian and Manipur politicians Credit: AFP
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Neither the violence nor the burning of homes shows signs of abating Credit: AP
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn