Imphal, April 22 2009: ELIGIBLE VOTERS of Khordak, Nongmaikhong and Ethai Wapokpi villages, who had to bear nearly ten days' ordeal due to the operation Summer Storm launched by the 57 Mountain Division against the underground insurgents who had set up transit camps on the floating islands of weeds in the Loktak lake, today joined the electorate of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency in casting votes.

However, they still have a nagging fear that the Army operation in their areas may resume now that the election is over.

A team of reporters today found the villagers of the three villages turning up for casting their votes at the respective polling stations.

On reporters' queries why they were joining the polling while they had said just a few days back that they would boycott the election, the villagers replied that they had no idea if it was to allow them to cast votes but they were allowed to return home.

They expressed their suspicion that the operation may resume after the election is over.

M Binod, a villager of Nongmaikhong Makha Leikai told reporters that some villagers who had left their homes in the wake of the Army operation are yet to return to their homes.

They might have gone to their relatives' places far away.

They missed voting today, he said.

He also said that on their return from the relief camps, they found their domestic animals and poultry missing.

After the election is over the villagers of the three villages will hold a joint meeting and make a list of the missing domestic animals, poultry and other things from the villagers' homes, and will inform the government about these, he said.

On another question what would be the next step of the villagers if the operation is resumed once again, the villagers said, if the Army resumes the operation, the villagers will take out a march to the Chief Minister's official bungalow and launch a protest agitation.

The villagers lamented that since most of them are labourers and earn their daily livelihood, after their return from the relief camps, many families are now facing danger of starvation as there is nothing to eat in their houses.

But still they feel happy for being able to return home, they said.

Younger villagers told the group of reporters that after returning from the relief camps to their homes yesterday, they as usual ventured out in the lake for fishing and cutting grass as fodders for the cattle.

While thus going about their works, they felt the stink of rotting animals.

Therefore, some animals like Sangai might have died during the operation, they said.

The villagers who had been compelled to bear hearing numerous sounds of gun fire, bombs and rockets during the ten day Army operation are now experiencing psychological trauma.

Their fear for anything that sounds even a little like that of gun shot is too much and makes them shiver in fear.

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