Manipur Crisis Deepens: Thousands of Displaced Villagers Rally for Safe Return Home

Manipur's internally displaced people have escalated their protests demanding safe passage to return to their abandoned villages.

Imphal/Guwahati:

Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in relief camps transformed a sit-in protest into a massive rally in Manipur's capital Imphal today. The protesters, who fled from areas including Churachandpur, Moreh, Ikou, Dolaithabi, and Torbung, are demanding secure passage to return to their home villages.

The IDPs have reported being prevented from returning to their villages near Kuki-dominant foothills by insurgent groups, despite these groups having signed suspension of operations (SoO) agreements with both central and state governments. This blockade, they claim, violates constitutional provisions and existing laws.

According to the protesters, they have been pushed into a state of desperation as they continue to be denied free and safe movement on state highways to reach their homes. This situation persists despite government assertions that normalcy has returned in the two years since the Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict began.

The demonstration began with IDPs from relief camps in Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal East, and Imphal West staging a sit-in protest at Kangla Western Gate in Imphal, where they chanted "we should be allowed to return home" among other slogans.

Protesters expressed strong criticism of the state administration, which is currently under President's rule, for organizing the grand Sangai Festival while thousands remain homeless. They declared the government's priorities unacceptable, reflecting their deep frustration over prolonged displacement and growing resentment at authorities prioritizing festivals amid ongoing humanitarian crisis.

"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," said Irom Abu Meitei, who was displaced from Churachandpur, while speaking to 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 added.

"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 gained momentum, senior police officers became concerned that demonstrators might head toward the governor's residence. Security forces swiftly intervened, diverting the rally away from Raj Bhawan toward a flyover at a busy market in central Imphal.

The protest expanded significantly when additional displaced families joined along the route. What began as a small sit-in evolved into a massive gathering by the time protesters reached Uripok neighborhood.

The rally concluded at a community hall where members of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella organization of Meitei civil society groups, held a public meeting.

Speakers at the meeting accused the government of neglecting thousands still confined to relief camps more than two years after ethnic violence erupted. The IDPs emphasized that they have no alternative but to pressure authorities to prioritize their safe and dignified return over promotional events.

The ethnic conflict between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who predominate in certain hill areas of Manipur, erupted in May 2023 over issues including land rights and political representation. The violence has claimed over 260 lives and internally displaced nearly 50,000 people.