Imphal: For residents of the Lamboikhongnangkhong relief camp in Imphal West, life has come to a standstill since they were forced to flee their homes after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023.The Manipur Trade and Expo Centre has been serving as the Lamboikhongnangkhong camp since June last year for Meitei families who have been displaced from their homes for over eight months.The Manipur Trade and Expo Centre has been serving as the Lamboikhongnangkhong camp. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.When The Wire visited the relief camp on Sunday (January 14), residents said they were trying their best to make the most of what they have, but their most common demand remained that they would like to go back to their homes.At present, the camp houses 586 people, including 138 families, who live in small cubicles separated by wooden sheets across four different blocks inside the former trade and expo centre.A cubicle inside the camp. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.Inside these small cubicles, which have not more than two small beds, whole families of as many as nine people live by spreading multiple bedsheets on the floor as temperatures plummet in the winter.The cubicles are also where they cook their meals from the rations delivered by authorities every ten days.The camp also includes small makeshift shops, where residents sell essentials such as vegetables, soaps, shampoos and ready-to-eat snacks like chips.A makeshift shop inside the camp run by residents. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.§Inao Taksellambam. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.Inao Taksellambam, a resident of Serou village, located about 65 km away from the state capital Imphal, came to the camp in June last year after his house was set ablaze while his family was inside on May 28.Taksellambam, along with his wife, two small children (seen in the picture) and elderly mother, fled to Imphal and first took shelter at a school near the Lamboikhongnangkhong camp.In June, when the camp was built, the family of five moved into one of the cubicles.“It has been eight months. How long are we supposed to stay here?” he asked while speaking to The Wire.“The BJP and the Congress are both the same. No one is helping us. Forget the BJP government; if the Congress wants, they can also do something. They should come and meet us. We are sitting here asking when will we go home,” he said.Premi. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.Premi, a resident of Sisipur in Churachandpur district, fled from her house with eight other members of her family on May 9. Her family was about to open a jewellery store in a month, when the violence started, forcing them to leave their home and come to Imphal.“We are eight people and just two beds. So, we use bed sheets to make mattresses and layer them with blankets and sleep on the floor,” she said.“It does not look like we will be able to go back home, but all I want is for us to be able to return to our homes,” she said.Tapan Singh stands over a box of soaps. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.Tapan Singh has been learning how to make soaps (pictured above with the soaps he has made in the last month) while living at the relief camp.Singh, a resident of Serou, has been at the camp from June and is looking for jobs.“They [government workers] come and teach us how to make soaps, but what do we do with the soaps? We need jobs. Each cubicle housing each family should be given one job each. The prime minister should come and see how we live. He should meet us and give a message of peace,” he said.Women at the camp wash clothes outside while taking in the winter sun. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta.While the camp has two washrooms for men and women and four toilets in each of the four blocks, women come outside to wash clothes while enjoying the winter sun.Sana, a resident of Kangpokpi, who was washing clothes there, said that though their fear has decreased while living in the camp, the hopes of going back home have diminished.“We want to end this fight and we want to go home but we know it’s difficult. They [the government and authorities] should make things easy for us. We want to tell the people of India that we are also Indians and we want to tell our political leaders the same. They only think of us during elections,” she said.
