Horrific tales of 80-year-old Meitei women burnt Alive in Serou
Son of the deceased S. Ibomcha
HY News
23 July, 2023 05:52 pm IST
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Amongst many horrific incidents of Manipur's ethnic conflict, a story of an 80-year-old woman who was burnt alive in Serou's clashes unfolded.
Belonging to the Meitei community, S. Ibetombi, the wife of the freedom fighter S. Churachand Singh, who died a few years back at 80, was locked inside her house before the Kuki armed assailants set on fire her home at Serou village on May 28, according to an FIR filed recently with Serou police station.
Over 200 houses belonging to Meitei communities were burnt down by armed Kuki militants in Serou of Kakching District. In their imagination of a separate Kuki administration, they envisioned Serou to be part of their land so they chased the peoples of Serou away from their village said S. Ibomcha son of S. Ibetombi who fall prey to the enemy's hand.
A report reaching here said that a large number of armed Kuki militants came from the Chingphai village site and entered Serou village by shooting various rounds of gunshots. The militants then started setting fire to houses at Serou Mamang Leikai and Serou Mayai Leikai, including the house of Sugnu Assembly Constituency MLA K. Ranjit.
Burnt bones of Ibetombi, half-burnt photographs, medals, mementos of Churachand Singh, many valuables, domestic materials, burnt houses, and bullet holes on the walls are now surfacing the undreamed-off horror by her son S. Ibomcha.
In a press briefing, his son S. Ibomcha narrated the gruesome incident of how his mother told them to run for their safety leaving her behind as she couldn't flee at her age. She became the prey in the enemy's hand. She told him to come for her later but when they went in search of his mother all they found is her charred body. His husband S Churachand Meitei, who died at 80, was a freedom fighter who was honored by former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
The grandson Premkanta Meitei said that when he, along with a few others, reached the spot to rescue her, the blaze had engulfed the entire house and the elderly woman charred to death. The rescuers were also immediately forced to escape again as the attackers again started firing and he was also hit by bullets.
About the May 28 attack, Premkanta said that frightened by the attack they took shelter at the local MLA's house, where they reached after running around two kilometers amidst the intense firing.
The incident took place in the early hours of May 28, when places like Serou saw massive violence and an exchange of gunfire.
It was one of the worst-hit villages during the clashes between the valley-majority Meiteis and the hill-majority Kuki tribe.
A short distance away from the village, the local Serou village market resembles a deserted area now.
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