Hundreds of Manipur IDPs protest in Imphal over delay in rehabilitation

Imphal: Amid tight security, hundreds of people, mostly internally displaced persons (IDPs), on Monday took to the streets of Imphal city and attempted to storm the gate of Lok Bhavan (formerly Raj Bhavan), carrying festoons and placards reading, “Response to our December memorandums.”

The protest march was jointly organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and the IDPs, unified civil society platforms dedicated to safeguarding the territorial integrity, cultural identity and social harmony of Manipur.

COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba led the protest march, which was also part of a scheduled programme following the submission of a memorandum to the Governor of Manipur on December 31, 2025. In the memorandum, the IDPs called for a time-bound, written roadmap for the resettlement process, accusing the government of ignoring their plight.

The IDPs and protesters are demanding proper resettlement in their original homes after prolonged displacement due to ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023. They also highlighted government inaction and the lapse of rehabilitation deadlines set for December 2025.

The memorandum further stated that the IDPs had held sit-in protests and submitted reminder memoranda daily to the Governor and the Chief Secretary regarding the government’s assurance to resettle them by December 2025, but the government has failed to respond so far.

No untoward incidents were reported as security forces remained on high alert, officials said.