From Living In Relief Camp To Medical College, Manipur Student's Journey

Shitaljit Tongbram, 21, walked to his grandmother's house in Churachandpur carrying two t-shirts on the evening of May 3, 2023, the day Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began across Manipur.

Mr Tongbram said he thought the situation would get better in a few hours as that was what everybody in his neighbourhood, Leimaram Meitei Leikai, told him.

"I wanted to freshen up at grandma's house, maybe stay there for the night. The NEET exam was just four days away [May 7]. Although there was tension, we did not think too much about it as many people said it will be fine," Mr Tongbram told NDTV in Assam's Guwahati, where he came for admission to a medical college after getting 139 rank at the state level in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The Churachandpur resident missed the exam that year due to the disruption caused by the ethnic clashes. He did not get a good rank the next year, and decided to try one more time in 2025. It worked.

Mr Tongbram said the chance to attend medical college finally gave hope for the first time since the night over two years ago when he and his family escaped from Churachandpur, leaving everything behind.

"At grandma's house, we saw mobs burning nearby houses late at night. Her house in Tengra Leikai was among the last in the area and by then we knew they would reach us in some time, so we prepared to escape. The attack began with someone throwing a petrol bomb at the gate. They also fired several rounds in the air from automatic weapons," Mr Tongbram said.

He said they ran from the backdoor towards a neighbour's house, where they took shelter till noon the next day. The neighbour was from the Gangte tribe (of the larger Zomi community), he said.

"They kept us safe in their house, and prayed for us. We left the next day and hid in a school. By evening, we decided to walk to an army [Assam Rifles] camp about 2 km from the school. It was an uneventful walk. We lived in the camp till May 9 before being taken to Imphal," Mr Tongbram said, adding the conditions were not good, but the army did their best to ensure food and water were available for the growing number of internally displaced people who came to the camp.

On his way to Imphal airport on September 22 to take a flight to Guwahati for MBBS admission, Shitaljit Tongbram, 21, stopped by 'Books and Brains Library' and thanked the staff for giving a safe and encouraging space to study for the last two years

Mr Tongbram's family of five - father, mother, and younger brother and sister - stayed at a relative's house in Imphal for some days before they moved to a relief camp. He said he could not concentrate on studies given the situation they were in.

"That was a time of confusion, fear, uncertainty. I was also very angry. I forgot whatever I had studied, just couldn't remember anything," the 21-year-old student told NDTV.

Limited space and distractions at the relief camp disturbed his NEET preparation for the next attempt, Mr Tongbram said, so he started searching for a place to study. That was when he came across 'Books and Brains Library' in Imphal city, 7 km from the relief camp. He said he borrowed a bicycle and rode to the library everyday to study.

Mr Tongbram said he received free coaching from a local study centre called COMET.

"Initially, they said I don't qualify for free coaching as the deadline to apply for scholarship had ended. When they heard we came from Churachandpur, displaced by the violence, they offered free NEET coaching. A lot of people helped me in small, small ways. I can't thank them enough," he said.

Mr Tongbram's parents were schoolteachers in Churachandpur. The family ran a small private hostel where students from several districts lived on rent. His parents took up teaching jobs in Imphal, but the irregular pay didn't help, he said. His father then decided to rent and drive a battery rickshaw to make ends meet.

After the NEET results came, Mr Tongbram got a choice for an MBBS seat at Churachandpur Medical College, Nagaland Medical College, and Pragjyotishpur Medical College in Guwahati. He chose the last one. His father accompanied him to Guwahati for the admission process.

"The admission went fine but classes will start from October 7 and hostel accommodation will likely be given on October 5. Until then I need to find accommodation somewhere. My father will return to Imphal. I am not going with him as the airfare is very expensive," Mr Tongbram told NDTV, adding his friends, local clubs and people at the library where he studied contributed a few thousand rupees for his journey.

"Despite the setback, in the end I got an opportunity. Never give up, that's my message to the youth of Manipur who may be feeling lost. I wanted to give up many times, but I didn't," Mr Tongbram told NDTV.

Finally, on his way to Imphal airport on September 22 to take a flight to Guwahati, Mr Tongbram stopped by 'Books and Brains Library' and thanked the staff for giving a safe and encouraging space to study for the last two years. 

Across Manipur, students have shown incredible resilience despite the circumstances they are in, education officials have said.

The Manipur government on Thursday announced that 87 MBBS students of Churachandpur Medical College have started their academic journey. While 21 students (19 from Churachandpur Medical College and two from Shija Academy of Health Sciences) began classes at the Churachandpur campus, 66 students of Churachandpur Medical College started sessions at the Imphal campus in Kyamgei.

"This marks another step forward in strengthening healthcare and medical education in the state," the state government said.

A total of 87 MBBS students of Churachandpur Medical College began their academic journey on 23rd September 2025.

- 21 students (19 from Churachandpur Medical College & 2 from Shija Academy of Health Sciences) commenced classes at the Churachandpur Campus.
- 66 students of... pic.twitter.com/tuJd9vkgqw

— Government of Manipur (@govt_of_manipur) September 25, 2025

The valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 260 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.