increasing seats in the Council up to 50 members of which six will be nominated by the Governor (presently there are 30 seats with four being nominated by the Governor); a special economic package of `350 crore to be spent in the region in the next five years (`70 crore per annum); improvement of road connectivity; rehabilitation of UPDS cadres; and setting up of village councils for deepening the democratic process. Four new administrative districts will also come up in the area as per the agreement.

However, for 55 year old Chinlam Singson - a resident of Kuki Colony at Manja, there will not be any Christmas party this time around. Actually, there has not been any celebration for her since 2004.

In January of that fateful year, she had lost her home, paddy field and her eldest daughter Konnem, a 19 year old girl, who was allegedly raped and killed by some Karbi militants near her village Basamili near Longnit. The family had fallen victim to the infamous ethnic violence between Karbi and Kuki communities that started towards the end of 2003.

“It was a Sunday (January 18, 2004). My daughter, accompanied by two other women of the village had gone to fetch water from the nearby spring. After some hours the two women rushed back to the village and broke the news that some militants attacked them. While the militants spared the two women, they took Konemem to the jungle. We could not even search for her as our village came under attack by Karbi militants later that day and we fled to a safer place. Our village was burnt down by the Karbi militants,” Chinlam said while wiping her tears.

Security personnel and the villagers found the mutilated body of Konemem a few days later. Her body bore marks of rape and inhuman cruelty meted out to her by the unknown militants. The family had to take shelter at the relief camp in Manja after the attack. The shock killed her husband in relief camp in April the same year. “I don’t think of Christmas as it reminds me of my daughter’s death anniversary. I lost everything during the violence - my daughter, my husband, our house, belongings, property cattle, everything. I have not been able to go back to my village since 2004,” she said.

Chinlam and her other two daughters and a son now live in the Kuki Colony near Manja in the district. She works in other peoples’ house and sometimes helps the villagers in their paddy fields to earn a living.

“The people here are mostly those who were displaced during the violence. Some are even from my village Basamili. They know my story and so are very kind towards us,” she added.

Like the Singsons there are many families in the district, who have lost everything in the violence. The condition that these families are living in is pathetic as no proper rehabilitation was made to them.

 

In January of that fateful year, she had lost her home, paddy field and her eldest daughter Konnem, a 19 year old girl, who was allegedly raped and killed.

Almost all the families have received compensation in terms of money but that is far from sufficient. “The monetary compensation gave them temporary relief. But a lot of things are yet to be done for example; no proper conflict resolution methodology was followed. Nothing was done to wipe out the pain inflicted on the villagers by the violence and the effort which would ensure peaceful coexistence among the communities is missing,” said Pankaj Teron, convener of the Karbi Human Rights Watch.

 

“As per the MoS, the Assam government had already notified the date of elections to the KAATC - January 4. Hopefully, the UPDS leadership would contest the Council polls and win it too. If they win the polls, a lot of responsibilities are there for them,” said Haren Teron, a retired school teacher of Diphu while adding that lasting peace would come to the district only if they can meet the challenges properly - particularly the grievances of the small communities like Kuki, Hmar, Adivasis and others  who had been severely affected by the past ethnic violence in the district.