Manipur IDPs clash with security forces while returning home, four injured
Guwahati: Tension flared in Manipur's Imphal East on Monday as hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs) attempted to return to their abandoned homes, triggering clashes with security forces at Pukhao and near the Dolaithabi Dam.
Four IDPs sustained minor injuries during the confrontation.
The march involved residents of relief camps in Ekou, Dolaithabi, Yengkhuman, Sajiwa, and Swombung—villages situated along the foothills bordering the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district.
The groups began moving towards their localities early in the morning, but security forces intercepted them at several points and repeatedly advised them not to enter “Red Zone” areas still considered highly volatile.
Despite the warnings, the displaced villagers insisted that the ongoing Sangai Festival signalled a return to normalcy and argued that they should be permitted to go back.
Several said living in relief camps had become increasingly unbearable.
“We are farmers. We have lost our livelihood since the day we fled. If the government claims normalcy has returned, why can’t we go home? Why force us to stay in camps instead of dealing with the militants?” protester S. Kumarjit Meitei told reporters.
The situation escalated when the crowd attempted to cross the barbed-wire barricades set up by security personnel near Dolaithabi.
A scuffle broke out as the protesters pushed forward, causing several people to stumble and sustain minor injuries.
The tension intensified further after the demonstrators alleged that a BSF vehicle nearly hit one participant.
Security forces responded by firing tear gas shells and a few blank rounds to disperse the advancing groups as the situation threatened to spiral.
For many IDPs, this was their first attempt to revisit their homes nearly two years after displacement, leading to emotional scenes across deserted neighbourhoods.
“At several places, we saw cooking utensils and basins lying around. The fruit trees seemed plucked—most likely by security personnel stationed nearby,” said an IDP, Noni.
Another returnee, Mayenbam Jack, described his damaged home with distress: “Tin sheets are lying everywhere. My house collapsed on its own. The gate and the old granary are still standing, but everything else is gone. I don’t want to come back again.”
The mobilisation mirrors a similar attempt in Bishnupur district on the opening day of the Sangai Festival, highlighting a growing desperation among displaced families to reclaim their homes despite security restrictions.
Security forces remain on heightened alert as IDP groups continue to move through vulnerable pockets of Imphal East, raising concerns of more confrontations in the coming days.