Testimony of Thounaojam (O) Pyari Devi

I, Thounaojam (O) Pyari Devi aged about 33 years W/o Late Sh. Thounajam Boro Singh, R/O  Kwakeithel Awang Thiyam Leikai, P.O. Imphal, P.S. Lamphel, Imphal West District would like to testify the day my husband was picked up from the rehabilitation centre and later declared shot dead in an encounter.

I live with my daughter, Velentina who is studying in Standard IV at St. Peter School near my marital home while my husband was put up at Rehabilitation Center at ‘New Life Centre’ at Oinam owing to his bad habit of taking drugs. Earlier, my husband was connected with underground group but had left. We kept him in the rehabilitation centre as a patient, he improved considerably and on goodwill he became a cook at the centre.

On 5^th January 2009, Police Commandos of Singjamei came to our house, asking for my husband but having no doubt, I told them the whereabouts of my husband. Later in the evening around 6:30 pm we received a phone call from the rehabilitation centre informing us that commandos had taken him along with them. We started enquiring about his whereabouts. We contacted my younger brother-in-law who is in Manipur Police and to the local MLA. However, no information of such an arrest was known. Next early morning my father in-law went to the rehabilitation centre and enquired which dress he was wearing when the commandos arrested my husband. I was at home busy feeding the chickens which also sustains our livelihood, when my daughter came running with the news paper and showed me a photo of dead person and asked  if that was her father. I saw his black shirt and started yelling at the courtyard if anybody had gone to the morgue to enquire or not, however no one gave a reply. My younger brother went to the morgue and brought home the dead body.

Report was made by the police commando that at Ningombam Lamkhai, while the commandos were on their round for checking on the  roadside, my husband was told to stop and instead he fired back to the police and in that encounter had died. The police made allegations that my husband belonged to the insurgent group PREPAK. The police did not reveal that my husband was arrested from the rehabilitation centre and was later killed in an encounter. The PREPAK group clarified in the newspaper that my husband had no relations with their group.

When he was alive, he was good to everyone and helped my father-in-law in running the rice mill. We were happy and contented and everyone was supportive. My daughter and I started experiencing a roller coaster ride of misery after the death of my husband. My in-laws started ill-treating us every day, we felt so ashamed to live with them due to their behavior. I was told to live in a single small room after his death. They came out with new methods daily to harass us. My mother-in-law complained everyday that walking to and fro inside the room makes more dirt and noise and we should be silent and move lesser for everybody’s convenience. They purposely complain and behave as if they do not want us to live in the family. I work at SASO and sometimes bought vegetables for sharing with them. They are happy when I buy something for them, otherwise they make every excuses to ill treat us. I was confused whether to mourn the death of my husband or face mal treatment from the in-laws. I controlled my patience and waited till the end of phiroi (ritual of first death anniversary) of my husband. Unable to tolerate with their attitude, I went to live at my maternal house. Nobody from my husband’s family stopped us nor made contact or visited us after I left. We were never enquired on special occasion/festivals, which disappoint me much. When I visited the house they do not talk to us properly. We are like a taboo for them and presently they are trying their level best not to provide the share of my husband’s property.

I have not lost hope in living boldly, my daughter is my inner strength and both of us should support each other and lead a beautiful life. We have still a long way to go and I pray to God that He guide us in every step we take. When my husband was alive everyone in the family and people from our locality respect me. Now, all the respect, self esteem and admiration have faded. I am looked upon as a taboo in the society. However, I should not lose hope, I must live be strong enough to tackle the future. We did not receive ex-gratia on account of his death. I am weaving and selling traditional clothes for our daily welfare. I have to be strong and positive with life for my daughter.