Nandita Haksar’s 2023 book Shooting the Sun: Why Manipur was Engulfed with Violence and the Government Remained Silent contains several stories of Manipur that are “violent, cruel and infused with unadulterated savagery,” she states in the prelude. She adds, “The hate and rage in them is tangible and there is no way to make the stories any less brutal.”  One such story is of 34-year-old David Theik, who lived in Langza in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, home to his Hmar community of Christians. Haksar notes that due to issues like poverty and lack of employment, David migrated to Mumbai for work like so many other tribal boys. Like many other migrant workers who had lost their livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic, David was forced to return home to Langza. With a heavy heart, his brother recounted that he was planning to return to Mumbai to set up a business, but “all…

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