As the ongoing conflict in Manipur continues to simmer, the woes of the internally-displaced people — now scattered both within and outside the state — continue to grow. Most of them escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The physical and psychological impact of the violence will likely last a lifetime. Meanwhile, school-going children, college/university applicants and job-seeking youth in particular are staring at a bleak future. School textbooks, notes for competitive exams and even educational certificates are among the things that were burnt to ashes by unruly mobs torching homes. Such a loss cannot be compensated and will have a lasting impact on future generations.
While the government claims that the situation is under control and that normalcy will return soon, the emotional scars and distrust might prove difficult to bridge. The evacuation of people from hill tribes stranded in Imphal with the help of the army and central armed forces has exposed yet another fault line. On May 10, Manipur University issued a notice asking employees to attend office during the curfew relaxation. The notice was issued with the approval of a competent authority and is effective immediately. How does one expect a displaced employee who had just days ago fled for dear life to go back and attend office? With private homes and official residences burnt down, how and to what will they return?
It has been a long-standing complaint of the hill districts that development is concentrated in the Imphal Valley. The locations of centrally-funded educational institutions are an example of this. Needless to say, a lot of displaced students will suffer as they will have to leave their studies. Aspiring job seekers will miss important examinations like SSC, CUET, UPSC, UGC-NET, and CSIR-NET as exam centres are located mostly in Imphal.
A recent notification (dated May 19) was issued about the CUET (UG) 2023 exam for centres in Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Manipur. City information slips for students appearing in the said exam were also issued. It was stated that there are about 3,697 candidates that had opted to appear in Manipur for the examination. The National Testing Authority (NTA) carefully reviewed the law-and-order situation in consultation with the state administration and contacted these candidates, asking for their preferred city to sit for the said examination. Some candidates who are not in Manipur or want to take the examination elsewhere are being allocated to other cities like Delhi, Guwahati, etc. The option for a change in centre for candidates from Manipur is still available. Moreover, after contacting the state administration, the NTA has been advised to keep all examinations in the state of Manipur only from May 29 onwards. However, the students who were displaced and returned to Churachandpur district did not get the information. In fact, they still do not have access to the internet (it has been shut down till May 26). Their prospects, as of now, are dark.
In some instances, matters are worse.
At JNIMS (Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences) in Imphal, Manipur, the examinations start on May 31. The institution had also issued a circular dated May 15 insisting that final year post-graduate students who are not in Imphal intimate their availability on or before May 17. Given the circumstances in the state, including the broken lines of communication, such notifications from the Government of Manipur appear callous. Hill tribal students are understandably apprehensive about returning to Imphal to take their exams amidst violence and hatred. Several other exams such as for the Manipur State Public Services — for which many tribal aspirants have applied — have an examination centre only in Imphal.
Displaced higher secondary students have been particularly affected by the violence in Imphal. It is uncertain when they will be able to return to school and what that absence may mean for their future academic prospects.
Even if “normalcy” were to return, will things ever be the same? What will compensate for the lives, homes and opportunities lost? The mental agony and trauma will last a lifetime and mutual distrust among people will be hard to bridge.
The writer teaches Literature and Culture Studies at The School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, JNU
