Migrants Not Safe in Insurgent-Hit Manipur

Imphal, Sep 27 : Laborers and workers who come to Manipur from other Indian states often find themselves at the mercy of insurgents. Recently, two workers from Bihar were killed.

People coming in to Manipur also face the power of the law, and find themselves removed to areas bordering state capital Imphal.

As law enforcement want to avoid further casualties, migrants are moved to areas such as Marwari Dharamsala and Kalibari Puja Devalaya.

Imphal police sub-inspector Basanta Singh said: "We have picked 119 locals here. They are all men and no children and women. The number is likely to increase in the near future."

Bihari Gupta, a migrant, said: "It becomes extremely difficult for us to work over here. We are very tense and we do not know what the future holds for us."

The district administration has taken care of their food, lodging and security. Medical officers are being deployed at the venue so that these people can undertake regular health check ups. Most of the workers were daily wage laborers.

Ranjit Singh, another migrant, said: "I want to tell those people that this is India and we have the right to move freely and this implies to Manipur also. They are killing us because we are poor and they believe that they can terrify us."

People living in Manipur have denounced such acts of violence. They clearly believe that a divide on communal lines will not be in the interest of the people.

Khumukcham Somorjit, a Manipur student, said: "It is not a good thing. Our brothers and sisters are staying and studying outside. I am concerned about them. Instead of creating problems for each other, we should understand each other."

Militants view the migrants as a burden on the state and consider them a hindrance to development in the region.

The banned Revolutionary People's Front had issued a notice to migrants last year to leave Manipur.