Tampakmayum Akhtar a young chef at a cafe in Manipur had a normal conversation at work that turned really bad. He made a joke to the owner’s younger brother and things got out of hand fast. This led to him being severely attacked changing his life drastically. We don’t know what the joke was exactly but it caused a violent reaction immediately.
The fight was brutal. Akhtar was badly beaten and had to go to the hospital because of his injuries. This happened at the cafe involving people connected to the owner. The whole thing affected his ability to work and made him feel unsafe. Something that started small just exploded into a terrifying experience at work.
This whole situation happened while Manipur is dealing with big ethnic problems. Akhtar is from a place in Imphal that’s already dealing with conflict. The attack was way more than a workplace argument. It shows how deep prejudice and violence runs. It added more worry and fear to an area already full of unrest. This has made Akhtar’s life harder making recovery very important.