'Going Home': Manipur's Displaced Meiteis Try To March To Villages, Clash With Cops

Members of Manipur's Meitei community who have been living in relief camps for over two years tried to march toward what they said were their homes in villages near the foothills that surround Imphal valley, officials said.

Some of them announced they would march to areas like Churachandpur in southern Manipur and Moreh on the border with Myanmar. These areas have Kuki villages and have been out of bounds for the Meitei community, who live in central Manipur's valley region.

The internally displaced people said they decided to go home because Governor AK Bhalla inaugurated the grand winter celebration, Sangai Festival, despite thousands still living in relief camps.

They said they should be allowed to go home since the celebration of the festival meant peace had returned. The police stopped them from moving towards the villages on the outskirts of the central valley area due to security concerns in the adjoining districts, officials said.

The security forces had to use mild force to disperse the crowds.

Earlier, members of the umbrella body of Meitei civil society groups COCOMI held protests in several areas in Imphal. They said the festival being held at a time when thousands are still homeless is inappropriate.

However, a section of the population has welcomed the festival despite the hard times because they expect the event to generate much-needed income.

There was brief tension at Khurai Lamlong as police fired tear gas and protesters threw stones at them.