IDPs demand resettlement, security beefed up
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 02 2025:
Demanding early resettlement, internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking shelter in different relief camps for two years due to the on-going conflict in the state, staged sit-in protests at different locations in Bishnupur, Imphal West and Thoubal districts on Friday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a sit-in organised by the IDPs and Peace Committee Kangleipak, Manipur near the pre-fabricated housing complex at Utlou, one Rk Babita expressed that neither the people of Manipur would be facing hardships as endured currently nor would there be any threat to the territorial boundary had it not merged with India.
In another sit-in staged by IDPs taking shelter at the Loukoipat, Bishnupur, relief camp, the protestors demanded that authorities concerned ensure resettlement to their ancestral homes.
The protestors displayed placards inscribed with the slogans 'Don't make us refugee in our home', 'IDPs are not immigrants', 'What is the use of PR in the state', and 'Kill us if you cannot resettle us in our home', among others.
IDPs housed at Mekola in Imphal West district, and Rice Research Station Khangabok, Lamding Higher Secondary School, and Wangjing Kodompokpi, Thoubal district also protested and highlighted the growing desperation and emotional toll on displaced families.
"We heaved a sigh of relief when President's Rule was imposed, hoping it would bring us home," said one protester.
"But nothing has changed.
What is the point of President's Rule if it can't ensure a basic right like returning home?" The protesters, mostly women, voiced their disillusionment with what they described as continued government apathy.
Many said they felt abandoned by the authorities and questioned whether their lives held any value in the eyes of the state.
"Our lives are no less important than the families of those in power," said another protester.
"We used to live peacefully in our own homes.
Now, we are stuck in cramped relief camps, dependent on government rations".
The protesters urged the government to prioritise their rehabilitation.
Despite repeated appeals, including earlier protest rallies, the displaced population says their demands have largely gone unheard.
They are now appealing directly to the Governor, urging immediate action to end what they call "two years of silent suffering".
Meanwhile, on the eve of the second anniversary of the ethnic strife in the state security has been tightened as a precautionary measure.
Police have intensified frisking and vehicle checks at key locations in Imphal, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi district headquarters to monitor the movement of anti social elements.
Security has also been beefed up in and around Khuman Lampak sports complex, where a Manipur People's Convention organised by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) is scheduled on Saturday, to mark completion of the second year of the Kuki-Meetei conflict.
Central forces have been deployed in front of Kangla Gate.
"The security beef-up is a precautionary measure to prevent any unwanted activities by anti-social elements in the state, particularly on Saturday," an official said.
COCOMI has called on the public to suspend all activities on May 3 and attend the convention.
Volunteers have used public address systems to remind citizens of the violence over the past two years and to highlight the alleged threat to the territorial and administrative integrity of the state.
The Kuki Students' Organisation and Zomi Students' Federation have also called for a shutdown on May 3 in all Kuki-dominated areas and to join remembrance and commemorative programmes for those killed during the violence.
The first session of the programme under the theme 'A Day of Separation from the Meiteis' will be observed at the Wall of Remembrance at Churachandpur district headquarters from 11 am.
The solemn event will include observation of one minute silence with prayer, songs in remembrance of the departed souls and speeches from various tribal leaders.
Second phase of the programme will be held at Sehken Martyr's Cemetery under the theme 'Cry for Justice and The Inevitable Split Day'.
Mourners, relatives and families of 126 killed in the violence will assemble and offer floral tributes to their loved ones.
In a joint statement, the student bodies said, "May 3 marks the completion of two years since the outbreak of ethnic violence," and urged everyone "to observe the day in silence by closing all educational institutions and business establishments" .
They also called on people to hoist black flags at their residences as a mark of mourning.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meeteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 3, 2023 .
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