IMPHAL: Nengboi Coungel, a Kuki-Zo woman from the Tamenglong region of Manipur, gave birth to a baby girl at the Hmarkhawlien Relief Camp in Assam in a heartbreaking story of love, grief, and perseverance. Unfortunately, the arrival of her husband Haojoel Doungel’s deceased body in Churachandpur district coincided with this happy occasion.
In order to get away from the growing ethnic conflict, Haojoel had moved his family to the relief camp. He traveled to Jirighat in order to secure funding for Nengboi’s safe delivery as her due date drew near. Reports, however, suggest that he was brutally tortured after being kidnapped by suspected militants.
Haojoel’s body was discovered in a culvert close to Anglapur hamlet in Jiribam, and initial examinations and witnesses revealed significant torture and mutilation. Nengboi went into labour the same day her husband’s body arrived in Churachandpur, unaware of his fate.
The stark contrast between birth and death highlighted the deep sorrow that Nengboi’s family was experiencing. Her newborn daughter offers a ray of hope despite the terrible loss.
Following yet another round of turmoil in Manipur last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was forced to call off scheduled rallies in Maharashtra, which is headed for elections. As the violence increased, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was dispatched to the northeastern state to assess the situation and device a plan of action.
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