Amid conflict back home, Meitei, Kuki students show unity in Tripura hostel

A student said she does not believe in discrimination and that all of them are staying together in Tripura without bothering about their caste, creed or religion

Amid the conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur, which has so far claimed over two hundred lives and displaced 50,000 people since May 2023, a group of 20 students from these two communities from the northeastern state are scripting a new story of unity and kinship at a hostel in neighbouring Tripura.

A student said she would take good memories of friendship back home.

They are among a batch of 23 students who are taking coaching classes for their pre-medical entrance examination, i.e. National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET, and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to engineering colleges under a coaching programme being run by the National Integrity and Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO) in collaboration with the Assam Rifles.

In its first batch, 10 students came to Tripura to join the programme. Later, more students joined, taking the figure to 23. All of them have been housed at the Assam Rifles 28th Battalion camp located at Teliamura in Khowai district, nearly 45 km from the capital city of Agartala. Of the total 23, ten each are from Meitei and Kuki and Mizo communities. One is from Assam while two are from Tripura.

“The students are provided with all required facilities during their stay for their coaching purpose. There are many students who have been staying here since June last. After completion of their training here, the students are thinking of their career. They don’t bother about the conflict,” said an official of Assam Rifles on the condition of anonymity.

HT spoke to a few students from Meitei and Kuki communities about their experience of staying together while their community members were fighting in Manipur. Their identities have been withheld for protection of their families in Manipur.

A Meiti student said she does not believe in discrimination and that all of them are staying together in Tripura without bothering about their caste, creed or religion. She comes from an economically poor background and her family did not have financial resources to support her higher education.

“We all stayed together here. There is no caste or religion here. Even after we go home, we shall not discriminate against anyone. We strongly believe that humanity will be alive forever and the crisis will end one day,” she said, at a farewell party, where all of them enjoyed a song and dance party.

The Kuki student, who is also from a poor family in Kakching district, said they stayed together like a family. “We were all from a very poor background and our only pursuit was to build a good career. We rarely spoke about what was happening back home. I believe we should follow path of unity and peace,” he said. He came to the camp in December 2023.

Another Kuki student recalled how the conflict has impacted the education system in Manipur. “No way I could have got coaching in Manipur. The coaching centres are all in Imphal and I could not have gone there. Coming here was safe,” he said, not holding his Meitei colleagues at the camp responsible for Kukis not being allowed in Imphal.

Both said they got the chance to study for free. “If anyone wants to study a medical course, they can join here by cracking a simple interview and examination. I came here last December,” said the Meitei girl.

Another student from Manipur felt happy for being able to pursue her higher education dream which she could not do in Manipur, where educational institutions such as colleges and coaching centers were shut down due to frequent strikes due to the conflict. The third student said despite belonging to two different communities, Meiteis and Kukis have become close friends.

“Nothing can be gained through violence. We should not differentiate rather we should make up for all the prolonged trouble with each other,” said the third student, adding that she would take good memories of friendship back home.

NIEDO faculty member Mohammad Iqbal said the initiative has helped the students from the conflict zone to pursue their dreams. “For the past few years, NIEDO has been engaged in teaching children in various parts of India,” he said.