Imphal, December 09 2008: "Even when she is offered sweetmeats and various other delicacies if she would go to our native village, my seven year old daughter always rejected the offer saying that she may get hit by stray bullets in their village", said 27 year old Tilhat of Molcham village, Chandel district who is now staying in rented rooms at Moreh along with her husband and three daughters.

Tilhat suffered severe injuries on the left side of her waist after she was hit by bomb shrapnel inside her own home at Molcham.

The family had to sell out their homestead for her treatment.

Rendered homeless since then, the family is now staying at Moreh in rented rooms.

"I'm grateful to the Almighty for saving my life after being hit by a shrapnel.

But the cruel incident had already shattered my peaceful home and simple family".

"It's a thing of the past for the family to work hard during day and sleep well in peace during night", Tilhat reminisced.

The sad story of Tilhat and her family marked by blatant human rights violation may or may not figure in the Human Rights Day observation as the world observes 60th International Human Rights Day tomorrow but her story is one of the several untold stories of misery, human rights violation, subjugation and repression that rule in this part of the world.

Even though it is now 60 long years since the UN issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to all its member countries, most fundamental rights of many people like Tilhat are being trampled upon time and again in Manipur.

Hundreds of people have been forfeited of their right to live while thousands of women and children have been robbed of their source of livelihood.

"In the past, I used to weave clothes on loin loom while my husband cultivated paddy and vegetables in our struggle for survival," "I could earn at least Rs 1500 per month by weaving clothes but after I was hit by a bullet on the waist, I could not weave anymore", recalled Tilhat.

As exemplified by Tilhat and her family, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which envisages complete socio-economic rights to all the people across the globe sounds meaningless and absurd to hundreds of families in the State.

Recounting about the cruel incident that shattered her home, Tilhat said that at about 3.30 am of January 29 last, shots were fired into her house after a mortar shell hit a mango tree grown just beside her house.

Shrapnel that flew into the house struck utensils and other articles resulting in total mess.

One of the shrapnel also hit her waist causing serious injuries.

"Although I was bleeding profusely, I held tight my six month old child with one hand while my other hand was busy covering up the bleeding portion.

At the moment, my two other daughters then 11 and 7 years old were wailing on the bed.

My husband was not at home at the time", Tilhat recalled.

"The firing was so intense that all the villagers thought all my family members were dead".

"For a long time after day-break, none of the villagers came inside the house.

But on hearing the crying of my children, they rushed in.

Then they took me to army hospital", she recounted.

From the army hospital, Tilhat was shifted to a hospital located at Khampat in Myanmar.

There too, her injuries could not be treated well.

Later Tilhat was taken to a hospital at Imphal through Moreh where he underwent a surgical operation.

Tilhat was provided some assistance by the local MLA and the AMUCO, she said. But the family had to sell all their properties including rice, clothes, utensils and ornaments for her treatment.

She stayed in the hospital at Imphal for about a month and a half.

Although the family is facing extreme hardships to meet both ends and in paying monthly rent of Rs 400, both the elder daughters of Tilhat are very much interested in schooling.

They would weep inconsolably when they were asked to stop going schools, her mother conveyed.

The two daughters are now doing their schooling in Moreh High School.

The mother regretted that had she been able to work hard as in the past she would never tell her daughters to drop out from school.

The mobility and physical strength of Tilhat have been great reduced consequent upon the injury caused by the mortar shrapnel.

She could no walk long distance.

She suffers from pain in waist and chest.

As the daily earnings of her husband could not meet the basic requirements, Tilhat go out to sell vegetables at Moreh Keithel in between, bearing all the physical pain and difficulties.

Lamenting that there has not been any assistance from the Government till date regarding the grievous injury she suffered, Tilhat said, "Don't cause such unfortunate incident to any body ever again".

She further appealed to all armed groups to know where and to whom they should turn their weapons.

"As an effect of the January 29 incident, my children could not bear any loud sound.

They feel frightened.

They always refused to go to Molcham", the mother said.

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