IDPs begin month-long protest demanding return home by December

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) staying in various relief camps across Manipur since the outbreak of the crisis on May 3, 2023, have launched a month-long protest from today at Lamboikhongnangkhong in Imphal West. The protesters are demanding that the government fulfil its assurance to facilitate their return to their homes within the month of December.
The protest is being supported by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), and a team led by its Convenor, Khuraijam Athouba, joined the IDPs on the first day of the demonstration.
Speaking at the protest site, Athouba reminded that government authorities, in the presence of the Governor, had earlier assured that all displaced families would be able to return to their respective localities by December. “Today is the first day of December, and the countdown begins. We will continue our protest every single day until the end of the month,” he said.
He further cautioned that if the government under the present administration fails to ensure the safe return and resettlement of the IDPs at their original homes by the end of December, COCOMI, together with the displaced persons and the people of Manipur, may be compelled to launch a more intense agitation.
Hundreds of IDPs participated in the protest, holding placards and voicing their long-pending demand for rehabilitation and restoration of normalcy in their native areas. Organisers said the protest will continue throughout the month unless concrete steps are taken by the authorities.