Captured in a moving moment at Martyrs Park, Cindy and her brothers honor their father’s memory—his life taken on a journey to celebrate her birthday. Their loss speaks for hundreds of children left behind in a land torn by ethnic strife.
BY Navin Upoadhyay
On April 18, 2025, five-year-old Baby Cindy and her younger brother stood quietly at their father’s memorial in Martyrs Park, Churachandpur, marking his birthday with a tender act of remembrance.
The heartrending moment, captured in footage shared by The Proud Indian@dynastydoungel on X, cut through the illusion of calm in Manipur, where the absence of gunfire is often mistaken for peace. “What fault did 5-year-old Cindy and her brother commit against the Meitei community?” the post demanded, challenging distant calls for “peace and free movement” that ignore the raw grief of families like Cindy’s.
For Cindy, her brothers, and their mother, Mrs. Sonlhing, the loss of Mr. Lhunkhohao to Manipur’s ethnic violence remains a deep wound, one shared by countless others in a region fractured by conflict.
Nestled in Churachandpur, Martyrs Park, near the Tribal Martyrs Memorial Park, is a solemn sanctuary for the tribal communities. Established to honor nine tribal martyrs killed in 2015 during protests against three “anti-tribal” bills perceived as threatening tribal land rights, the park, unveiled in 2018, became a symbol of unity and resistance. Since the ethnic clashes intensified in May 2023, it has grown into a resting place for victims of the ongoing violence, with 126 graves—many of young men and women in their twenties—bearing witness to the conflict’s toll. For the Kuki-Zo community, it remains a vital space to honor their “heroes,” as seen in the 2023 mass burials of 132 victims under tight security.
ALSO READ: Easter Violence in Ahmedabad: Suspected Right-Wing Mob Attacks Odhav Church
Just because firing has stopped doesn’t mean there’s peace in the region. Any sane person would be deeply affected by this footage. Baby Cindy and her little brother visited their father’s memorial at Martyrs Park to celebrate his birthday today. Please stop imposing your idea of… pic.twitter.com/7ATSAMZvrx
— The Proud Indian (@DynastyDoungel) April 18, 2025
Two years ago, Mr. Lhunkhohao, a devoted father from Mongbung Sejang Village near Jiribam, was killed allegedly by Imphal valley-based militant groups while traveling to celebrate Cindy’s third birthday in Lalpani, Assam, where the family had already fled due to Manipur’s escalating ethnic clashes. Left to raise their three children alone, Mrs. Sonlhing relocated to Churachandpur, where Cindy, now in the Preparatory class, and her brothers—an older boy in Class II and a younger boy in Class I—attend Grapevine International School in Gamnomjang Village. Without sponsorship or external support, Mrs. Sonlhing faces immense financial and emotional strain, yet she perseveres to provide for her family.
(Cindy’s parents in happier times)
Cindy’s dreams of her father, shared by her mother in a poignant recounting, reveal the depth of their bond and the trauma of his absence.
@Dynastydoungel talks about it in a second post on X on April 18 which also shows Cindy’s parents in happier times and baby Cindy telling her mother how she saw her father in the dream: An innocent baby recounts to her mother, Mrs. Sonlhing, how she saw her father in her dreams. The late Lhunkhohao, from Mongbung Sejang Village, Jiribam, was on his way to celebrate his daughter’s third birthday at Lalpani, Assam, where she was schooling. Tragically, he was mercilessly killed by alleged Meitei terrorists from UNLF/Arambai at Nungchatpi Meitei.
It’s clear that at five, she carries memories of a father stolen by violence, a loss mirrored by her brothers in a world marked by division. Their story is one of many in Manipur’s ethnic conflict, sparked in May 2023 by a Manipur High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei majority, opposed by Kuki-Zo tribes fearing erosion of their land rights. The violence has claimed over 258 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people by November 2024, with Jiribam—a hotspot—witnessing atrocities like the 2024 murder of six Meitei civilians, allegedly by Kuki militants.
ALSO READ: Cong MP Akoijam Echoes Meitei Despair Over Blocked Pilgrimage, Slams President’s Rule
The psychological toll on Cindy’s family is profound, evident in her dreams and the children’s memorial visit. Yet, their resilience shines through—attending school, honoring their father, and clinging to hope amid hardship. The X post’s plea—“God help them”—echoes the plight of countless children in Manipur. “How many children face the same situation as Cindy and her brother?” @dynastydoungel asked, urging reflection on the conflict’s human cost.
Despite president’s rule in February 2025, the conflict persists, leaving families like Cindy’s with little hope for justice. The ethnic divide, with Meitei valleys and Kuki hills separated by buffer zones, deepens the isolation of displaced families.
Cindy’s tribute at Martyrs Park underscores that true peace in Manipur remains elusive. Her father’s death, on a journey to celebrate her birthday, highlights the cruelty of a conflict that spares no one—not even a child awaiting her father’s embrace. As Mrs. Sonlhing nurtures her children’s dreams and memories, their strength reflects the enduring spirit of families in a divided land. Cindy and her brothers deserve a future where peace brings healing, justice, and hope.
ALSO READ: Calls Grow to Halt Cremation, Justice for Tibetan Monk
