- Hundreds of internally displaced persons in Imphal held a sit-in protest demanding safe return home
- The displaced claim insurgent groups block their movement despite suspension of operations
- Protesters criticized the government for hosting the Sangai Festival amid ongoing displacement
A sit-in protest in Manipur's capital Imphal by hundreds of people living in relief camps escalated into a massive rally today as the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from areas like Churachandpur, Moreh, Ikou, Dolaithabi and Torbung demanded safe passage to return home to their abandoned villages.
The IDPs said they have been blocked from returning to their villages near the Kuki-dominant foothills by insurgent groups in open defiance of constitutional provisions and laws despite signing the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the central and the state governments.
The IDPs said they have been pushed to a state of despair and desperation due to denial of free and safe movement on the state's highways to their homes, despite the government's claims that normalcy has returned over two years since Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence began.
The IDPs from relief camps in Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal East and Imphal West began with a sit-in protest at Kangla Western Gate in Imphal, and shouted slogans like "we should be allowed to return home".
They criticised the state administration - Manipur is under the President's rule - for holding the grand winter event Sangai Festival at a time when thousands are still homeless, saying the government's attitude was not acceptable.
The slogans reflected deep frustration over prolonged displacement and rising resentment at the state's decision to prioritise the Sangai Festival amid the ongoing humanitarian distress.
"We are gathering IDPs from different parts of Manipur who are taking shelter in the valley. Our main concern is the attitude of the government in conducting the Sangai Festival. Peace has not returned to Manipur, yet the government wants to portray that everything is normal; this is not true," Irom Abu Meitei, who was displaced from Churachandpur, told reporters at the rally.
"IDPs are languishing in relief camps. We demand the government to take necessary steps immediately for our safe return home. It's already November-end and only one month is left for the year to end, yet we are still living in relief camps," he said.
"The government is not even focusing on rehabilitation. According to their own plan, all IDPs should have been able to return by this time, but the initiative has turned into a failure. When will IDPs from Moreh, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur be able to return home?"
As the protest intensified, senior police officers expressed concern that the crowd may head toward the governor's official home. Security forces quickly took control of the situation and diverted the rally away from the Raj Bhawan toward a flyover at a crowded market in central Imphal.
The protest grew in size when more displaced families joined the rally along the way. What began as a handful of people at a sit-in turned into a sea of people by the time the rally reached Uripok neighbourhood.
The rally ended at a community hall where members of the umbrella body of Meitei civil society organisations, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), held a public meeting.
The speakers at the meeting alleged the government neglected the plight of thousands still trapped in relief camps over two years since the outbreak of ethnic violence. The IDPs said they have no choice but to put pressure on the government to prioritise safe and dignified return home over showcase events.
Ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, broke out in 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.
