Testimony of Smt. Leishungbam (O) Sakhenbi Devi, Ragailong blast

I, Smt. Leishungbam (O) Sakhenbi Devi aged about 30 years, W/O of (L) Sh. Leishungbam Debendro Singh, R/O Khurai Sajor Leikai, Ukhrul Road,  P.O. & P.S. Lamlong, District Imphal East, 795010, would like to share the pain and sorrow of losing my loving husband in the Ragailong Bomb blast. On 21^st October 2008, the evening the bomb exploded, he was loitering outside the compound of our house when he received a phone call from his close friend Naoten, the friend who died with him at the Ragailong blast. Naoten was inviting him to go to Thangmeiband for some work. They went away together around 6.30 p.m. and before leaving, my husband called out from outside our gate that he would be returning early. They did not return home for a long time. I suspected nothing as my husband was not in the habit of using drugs, alcohol, smoking cigarettes, gambling or any other bad activities. I was waiting for him to eat dinner together when I heard a loud explosion around 7-7.30 p.m. Ten minutes after the blast took place, one lady who identified herself as wife of a commando personnel, made a phone call to my husband’s elder sister, who resides at Keishampat Leikai. This lady gave information about the involvement of my husband at the Ragailong blast and if they happened to know the owner of the mobile phone, they should inform their respective relatives and immediately go to the Hospital. My husband’s sister after receiving the phone call immediately called us and informed us to go to the Hospital.

My relatives went to the Hospital and informed us through telephone that my husband has been killed in the Ragailong blast. The news of his death was unbelievable, I started shouting unable to accept the news and I fell unconscious. The whole night I was at the hospital. The next day my husband’s lifeless body was brought home after performing post mortem. I also returned home after medical treatment from the hospital. My situation became more serious after I saw the body of my husband. I became uncontrollable and my parents and relatives consoled me and they begged me to think for the future of my two young children, one was 3 years old and the younger one was only three months old.  I was inconsolable and fainted repeatedly and became very weak. The last rites were performed accordingly, followed by a series of agitations against the blast. The barbaric activity of the terrorist who triggered the bomb was condemned. The Chief Minister of Manipur offered Rs. One lakh as ex-gratia,to compensate the death of my husband.

There were numerous changes after his death. I was badly traumatized and remained sick most of the time. My youngest son, who was just three months old when his father died, became very sick in February 2009. He developed high temperature accompanied with patches of swelling on the body, and despite consulting a pediatric specialist, his condition worsened. After undergoing medication for four days in Imphal, we went to Gauhati for further treatment. The doctors in Gauhati Hospital gave the result as Seritis disease and medicated him with strong anti-biotic and performed blood transfusion on the feet of the child. I was depressed and felt miserable what was going to happen to my child. After the transfusion, he recuperated slowly and till today, with Gods graciousness, the disease did not reoccur again. I suffered from inferiority complex, I refused to go out and mingle with friends or relatives. I was at home almost all the time near my children. I did not attend any ceremony except the religious necessary rites performed for my husband. I developed severe back pain and joint pain. The ultra sound report showed stone in the gall bladder and I underwent gall bladder operation in March 2011. My in-laws bore all the expenditure for myself and my children’s ailment.

My children started growing up steadily and time came for them to go to school. I realized it is not necessary to waste time at home and I must earn money for sustaining my family. My mother-in-law and my husband’s brothers are good to me. My husband was the youngest son in our family and all the family members showed care and concern to me and my children. They opened a shop for selling dry fish items for me. Presently I am selling dry fishes at Khurai Bazaar which is adjacent to our house and the business is prospering.  

I feel afraid and gets irritated with loud sounds or explosion of firecrackers and stay indoors during Diwali season. My life is destined to live in the absence of a husband and I should be ready to face any situation for me and my children. I am glad my in-laws are there for me to face any circumstances. I pray to God for the welfare of my children and also pray to God to make the soul of my husband rest in peace.

Testimony of Smt. Samuralaitpam (O) Shanti Devi, blast victim of Sangakpham

I, Smt. Samuralaitpam (O) Shanti Devi aged about 30 years, W/O  Sh. Samuralaitpam Joykumar Singh, R/O Lei Ingkhol, Chingmeirong, P.O. Heingang , P.S. Heingang, Imphal East District, 795010, would like to testify how I encountered the terrible Sangakpham blast on 2^nd August 2011.

The day the bomb blast occurred i.e. 2^nd of August 2011, I went to Keishampat with my maternal mother to meet my nephew. After the meeting, we took a passenger auto rickshaw for returning home to Lei Ingkhol Chingmeirong. When we reached D.M. College, my husband called me and asked me to get fish from the market. Since, we were about to reach home, I decided to buy the fish from Sangakpham Bazaar. I made my mother wait for me near the diversion road of Lei Ingkhol and Sangakpham, as it would be inconvenient for her to cross the road. The first shop at Sangakpham Bazaar was closed so I went to another fish shop below the NEROCA building. I was climbing the stairs and at the same time asked the shopkeeper whether they have large fish weighing 1-2 kilogram. Before the shopkeeper could answer my question, I heard a loud blast accompanied with black smoke. The place where I was standing was completely engulfed with black smoke and dust. The sound was so intense I felt as if it has pierced my eardrum, I lifted both my hands and pressed my ears. The shopkeeper shouted that it was a bomb blast and we should vacate the shop immediately. I felt a hot sensation flowing down my right arm. The shopkeeper saw the blood and told me I am fatally injured. My right hand was bleeding profusely and my arm was drenched with blood. I was shocked and fell short of words how to express my situation. My right hand was critically injured with some finger bones protruding out from the palm. I was confused and became incoherent on what I am supposed to do. I walked out from the shop and saw bomb blast wreckage and people screaming and running to and fro in the midst of the black smoke and dust. The cable, telephone and electric wires were hanging down from the poles. I could not see clearly owing to the smoke and dust. I got startled when something fell down beside me with a loud thud. I rubbed my eyes to see clearly what it was, and to my astonishment, it was a body of a person ruptured by the high intensity of the bomb blast. The body was without arms and without legs from knee. It turns out to be the dead body of the insurgent who had triggered the bomb. My body was hurting and paining from the shrapnel injuries on my head, face, neck, arms, stomach and leg. I was confused what to do and someone from the fish shop brought clothes to wrap my hand in order to stop the bleeding. Mr. German of Sangakpham Bazaar was grievously injured on his right leg in the blast. I saw him lying against the tree trunk helplessly with bone protruding out from his right leg. He was in shock, pain and agony. Many commandos reached the blast area and started searching for dead bodies and injured people. I was sitting down and nobody saw me in the beginning. Then, I saw my mother searching and calling my name. She saw me and ran towards me and asked my condition. With the help of the police and my mother, we went to RIMS Hospital for medication. I was in the hospital for 22 days.

My right hand was damaged from the blast so badly that the doctors had difficulty in dislodging the two iron pieces. I underwent two operations on my right hand for mending and straightening the bones. The pain from the broken bones was in tolerable. The doctors removed several splinters from my head, face, neck, arms, stomach and leg. I felt very uncomfortable inside my ears and now after few months the ringing sound has disappeared.  The doctors prescribed strong pain killers and antibiotics. I was on medication for more than two months. My right hand is not normal from the operation and I cannot wash clothes or mop the floors. I am using my left hand and both the feet to wash and squeeze our clothes. I have five small children, an aged mother-in-law and father-in-law along with my husband. They all depend upon me for household chores and I am facing serious hardship with my handicapped right hand not able to perform any work. My husband construct brick houses and I accompany him for helping as well as earning money before the blast. Now I am helpless, the bomb blast has rendered me to a vegetable state. My husband borrowed a huge sum of money on my operation and medication. We are not financially sound with so many members in our family. My hand injury has caused more financial constraints.

After the blast, I cannot go or pass towards the blast area, the painful memories flashes back and I get troubled and terrified. I fear another blast may occur and I may die. I tried my best not to cross the blast area and avoid any work towards the bomb blast area. During the Diwali, my children and neighbors burnt firecrackers near my house. I got irritated and furious. I shouted and scolded them not to burst the firecrackers in my surrounding. I tried to make them understand that I cannot tolerate loud sounds.

After the blast, a Joint Action Committee was formed to agitate against the killings. There was commotion, strikes, bandhs etc in protest against the bomb blast. The poor are the main victims of the blast. The insurgents involved in the blast should be punished for causing so much hardship to the innocent citizens.

Wide Angle group at the exhibit stall on the occasion of the World Aids Day held at 1st MR Parade Ground

media acknowledgement

http://ifp.co.in/imphal-free-press-full-story.php?newsid=3154&catid=1
Imphal Nov. 24:    Women Survivors Network (WSN) ,a network body of women victims who are from the background of armed conflict held a meeting on Thursday at Sanghakpham as per initiative by  Wide Angle. At the said meeting , the members of WSN and their family members expressed their gratitude to the State Government for entitlement of exgratia of the Sangakpham bomb blast victims which occurred on  August 1,the ex gratia amount was handed over to the family members at the Porompat DC office complex on November 23, a press release by Wide Angle coordinator L Miranjan said.

The family members also voiced their gratitude to CORE, AMSU, AMUCO, Wide Angle and the JAC, different meira paibi organizations and individuals who contributed their valuable supports in terms of money, medicine, health care and various support while organizing sit in protests, submission of memoranda.

Accordingly, family of the deceased got 2 lakhs, severely  injured persons got 1 lakh and persons with minor injuries received 30 thousand, but this money has no place to return the lives of our loved family members, the aggrieving members had said . They also appealed all authorities and armed groups not to repeat such incident in the future, the release said