Water Cools Tempers in Leimaram

The fires in the hearts of people set after the communal violence in Manipur may still be smouldering. But kind acts from both sides are contributing towards cooling things down and allaying fears. Water is now beginning to calm the fires in Manipur, metaphorically and in its physical form.

The villagers of Leimaram approached Security Forces to restore the water supply that flows into their villages from the village of Ichum Keirap. The Kuki village had been burnt down on the night of 03 May 2023 by a mob. The Meitei villagers downstream had stopped receiving water in their pipes and were convinced that the Kukis had sabotaged the water pipes in revenge for the destruction of their village. The security forces discussed the matter with the village authorities, who denied any mischief on this count. On joint inspection of the water pipeline, the damaged location of pipeline was identified and it emerged that the pipe had broken due to debris from the fire set by the mob.

The pipeline was immediately repaired with the help of villagers and water supply restored in Leimaram village. A welcome humanitarian step was taken by the security forces in restoring faith between the two communities.