Manipur: David Theik beheaded in an act of terror, shell-shocked father pleads for justice

92 days have passed since violence first broke out in Manipur, with no signs of it abating. Tragically, the ethos of Manipur is now marred by harrowing stories of death, displacement and unfathomable loss. Numerous videos circulating on social media, reveal the grim reality of the state, talking of gruesome acts of violence being inflicted upon the common people. One such video that took the nation by a storm is that of 34 year old David Theik of Langza.

On July 6, the miscreants rounded up the village of Langza, David was brutally killed, his head severed and paraded around by miscreants. The head was then placed atop a bamboo barrier of a house and hailed as a mark of victory. His body dragged to another location on the same street and cremated, all that was left of his mortal remains were some charred bones when his companions found him. Sadly, this bestial terror tale was filmed by the miscreants, and the video circulated far and wide. David’s family, who are now in a relief camp in Churachandpur, have come across this viral video and are failing to comprehend their loss, completely taken aback by the ghastly nature of it.

The village of Langza stands as a tall testimony to the inhuman, barbaric death meted out to David, who was manning this village on that fateful day. House after house have been vandalized and set ablaze, the remnants now serve as constant reminder of human suffering. The people of Langza have fled the village, absolutely deserting it. An eerie silence looms over the village.
David’s companion who was manning the village with him, narrated the gut wrenching story of that fateful day to NTT. “The bamboo fence was drenched in David’s blood. They killed him, dragged his body and burnt it”, he recalls. A cross, a symbol of hope and faith has now been placed on the spot where David’s severed head was previously placed. David’s story is now laced with that of Langza.

David’s father, 64 year old Khuma Theik is now mentally unstable, unable to come to terms with the death of his son, the sole earning member of their family. When team NTT visited him at the relief camp in Churachandpur, he could barely convey his emotions. He has not seen the barbaric video of his son being beheaded, but just the news of David’s death has left him shell-shocked. “I want justice for David”, is one of the first things he said in broken sentences.
This frail 64 year old man could not see his son for one last time. He was not the one who got to perform his last rites. The death of his son was presented before him, flattened behind the screen of a smart phone. David’s family has filed an FIR, however, no arrests have been made so far. The family is yearning for justice to be served.

“My heart is broken. I want the Prime Minister and the President to do what is right and punish the miscreants. I want justice for my son David”, said Khuma Theik. It has been weeks since the video came to the fore, however, the authorities have failed to do anything for this bereaved father.
Now, all stories of Manipur have a common underlying thread of grief and bereavement. “I want this war to end. I am fed-up of this conflict”, says David’s father, who is reeling with irreparable losses, and his been displaced from his own house, seeking shelter at a relief camp, a sight common in the violence torn state of Manipur today.