IDPs continue protest, stage human chain, rally against Sangai Festival

IDPs from various relief camps in Imphal West intensified their protest campaign with coordinated demonstrations demanding immediate resettlement and condemning the government’s decision to go ahead with the Sangai Festival despite thousands still living in temporary shelters. The protests reflected deepening frustration among families that say their crisis remains unaddressed even 18 months after the violence erupted.
Over100 IDPs, including men, women and children, from the Mandop Yumpham Relief Camp under Sekmai Police Station formed a human chain inside the relief camp complex at around 11 am. They held placards with slogans such as “No resettlement, no rest,” “We boycott Sangai Festival,” “No Sangai Festival until IDPs’ resettlement,” and “Allow free movement on highways.” The protesters shouted slogans urging the government to give priority to their rehabilitation instead of celebration while asserting that their agitation would not be halted until meaningful action is taken.
Around the same time, IDPs from the Lamboikhongnangkhong relief camp also staged a protest, supported by local residents from the Uripok area. The group attempted to take out a mass rally but was stopped by the police from marching further near Uripok. The demonstrators said their appeals for safe return and basic rights have gone unheard, and that the people now urgently need a responsive government led by elected representatives committed to resolving the crisis.
“Celebrating a festival when thousands of people are still displaced shows insensitivity,” said one elderly protester from Lamboikhongnangkhong. Another woman IDP was angry about what she called the government’s “false narrative of peace.” She said houses belonging to civilians in Kangpokpi continued to be burnt and Meitei people could still not travel safely along either of the national highways. “If thousands of us can’t go back home even today, how can the government say peace has been restored? How can they conduct the Sangai Festival when we are suffering like this?” she asked.
IDPs said the crisis that began on May 3, 2023 has led to months of displacement, restricted movement, economic hardship and psychological trauma. They said the festival, meant to show off Manipur’s cultural heritage, has lost its meaning for people who continue to live in temporary shelters dependent on relief supplies.
The protesters reiterated demands for safe and dignified resettlement, restoration of free movement along national highways, and immediate intervention by the government for long-term rehabilitation. They warned that unless these issues are addressed, the public resistance against the Sangai Festival will continue.