Born to Kuki mother & Meitei father, a 12-yr-old budding boxer Mangminmgam ran 15 kms to safety amid clashes in Manipur

Tensions prevailed in several part of Manipur for a while now. Born to a Kuki mother and a Meitei father, 12-year-old budding boxer L Mangminmgam was oblivious of the growing tension between the two communities taking place in Manipur. He was alone at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Imphal on the morning of May 4.

 

 

Ethnic clashes had broken out in Churachandpur the day before and quickly spread to Imphal that very night. Mangminmgam was separated from his parents, who were hiding in their native village of Saikul in Kangpokpi, a district north of Imphal.

 

He was stuck in his hostel for four days. Being anxious soon after those four days, Mangminmgam decided to run home amid the violent clashes and Manipur’s dense forests and rolling hills. Carrying only his boxing gloves, the class 7 student ran 15km to reach an Assam Rifles camp at Mantripukhri in Imphal West district hours later on May 8.

 

 

"I do not know how far I ran. It was daytime and I just ran to safety," Mangminmgam said in halting Hindi, after reuniting with his parents in their village on May 9.

 

His father Shyam Lairaklaktham, a Meitei farmer, and mother Hatnu were surprised and delighted after security forces brought him home. Mangminmgam is now the toast of the villagers, the Army and Assam Rifles — hailed as a symbol of hope springing from the ruins of the Meitei-Kuki clashes that killed more than 60 and displaced 35,000 people.

 

His grit and determination in the middle of the crisis were hailed by many as a sign of peace, harmony and love between the two communities that have been at loggerheads resulting in more than 60 deaths and leaving thousands homeless.

 

“Proud son of Kuki Mother & Meitei Father- Testimony to peaceful coexistence of all communities in #Manipur. Made a daring 15km run to one of our camps. Reunited with his mother yesterday,” a tweet from Dimapur-based Army’s Spear Corps (3rd Corps) read.

 

The Army also tweeted a short video of the plucky boxer, seen training at the Assam Rifles camp. “Indian Army and Assam Rifles salute his grit & determination and wish hm all the happiness loads of luck in his boxing endeavours…” the tweet said.

 

Assam Rifles on its Facebook page has posted Mangminmgam heroic feat as “Fear, despair & negativity - Knocked Out.” It said the Mantripukhri camp has more than 2,000 “stranded people” and they were “blessed to witness the daunting spirit of the young boy who showcased his boxing skills”.