'Rs 3,000 Per Plot, Papers Taken': Manipur's Displaced Tribals Seek Answers From Civil Group ITLF

Members of tribal communities who left Manipur's capital Imphal after Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence broke out in May 2023 have asked a civil society organisation of the Kuki tribes to give details of money and documents it has taken from them to pursue court cases for compensation.

A group representing the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a statement said the Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), over two years ago, took Rs 3,000 per plot of land from every IDP who came from Imphal.

The displaced people have not heard anything after that, the Joint Internally Displaced Persons Churachandpur said in the statement signed by 10 representatives of the IDPs.

"These collections were made from people who were already vulnerable, displaced, and dependent on institutional integrity. It is a matter of grave concern now that despite a lapse of over two years, no communication on the outcome and financial accounting has been provided to the IDPs from whom the money and documents were collected," the IDPs' representative said.

The ITLF has not given a statement on the matter so far. Calls to ITLF members who were active in 2023-24 went unanswered.

One of the 10 representatives told NDTV on phone from Churachandpur their statement was genuine. "We want answers," the representative said, requesting anonymity.

In their request to the ITLF, they said they have been seeking clarity on the reason behind taking their money, about the safekeeping of their property and personal documents, and their current whereabouts.

The IDPs' representatives said they have reasons to suspect that members of the tribal communities, who lost their homes and properties in Imphal after the ethnic violence uprooted them and upended their lives, have been "misled and hoodwinked by the department concerned."

The 'department' referred to the so-called 'ITLF Planning Department', according to the IDPs' representatives.

"Sadly, no satisfactory or credible response has been received till date. This prolonged silence and complete lack of transparency have created a strong and reasonable impression that the affected IDPs were misled or hoodwinked by the concerned department. Such conduct reflects a serious failure of accountability, ethical responsibility and governance, and has severely eroded trust on the forum [ITLF]," the statement said.

The ITLF came into focus in the months following the outbreak of ethnic clashes in its role as the custodian of information from Churachandpur district, 65 km from Imphal.

It went to the background after the newly formed Kuki Zo Council (KZC) in late 2025 emerged as the pointsperson of the civil side in talks between the government and insurgent groups [of Kuki, Hmar and Zomi tribes] that had signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement.

The IDPs' representatives made a list of four demands: a written report clearly explaining the purpose of the collected fund, actions taken, and outcomes achieved if any; a full financial disclosure and accountability of the funds collected, including records and present status; a clear and written information on the custody and use of the documents collected from IDPs, and sharing with the IDPs the total list and amount collected from them.

"This request is issued in the interest of fairness, transparency, and justice for displaced persons who are already living under extreme hardship and uncertainty..."  the Joint Internally Displaced Persons Churachandpur said in the statement.

Lawyer's Petition On Helping IDPs

The ITLF controversy comes amid efforts to help IDPs by people from different sections of society across ethnic lines.

Siam Phaipi, a lawyer from Manipur who is based in Delhi, in a post on Facebook announced the scheduled hearing of a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday, which he highlighted would seek more than just the existence of a committee on helping IDPs.

"Just because there is a committee, it doesn't mean that the state is absolved of its constitutional duties," Phaipi said in the Facebook post.

In a brief summary of the case history, the lawyer said he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Manipur High Court seeking information about funds received and spent on IDPs living in relief camps. He said the PIL also sought information on alleged "discrimination/unequal implementation of relief in the valley and hills."

The high court disposed of the PIL citing a committee already exists and the "Supreme Court is seized of the matter", and ordered the lawyer to approach the Supreme Court if needed.

Phaipi said he made his objection clear.

"... Let's hope for the best. It would be much more effective if I am doing this as an MLA but I have to try my best with whatever I got. Things related to court are taking double or triple the usual time because it has become so complicated because of the Manipur violence. But either way, it will reach its finality eventually as I don't plan on giving up with things related to court and victims. One step at a time," the lawyer said.

I've been urging the general public to file RTIs, Applications, and PILs against the Govt. especially regarding alleged large scale corruption.

Before the Manipur Violence, I had done it as a Petitioner in Person on another thing but couldn't follow through as violence broke out

— Adv. Siam Phaipi (@SiamPhaipi) October 14, 2025

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.