Manipur: IDPs cry for help, lie on crowded Imphal streets during protest

Imphal: The protest marches staged by the internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltering in various government-sponsored relief camps across the Manipur valley districts marked yet another chapter in their long-standing demand to “return home” on Sunday.

For the first time, the protesting IDPs—amid tight security—cried for help in public spaces, lying down on crowded streets near the Raj Bhavan and the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal.

For the past ten days, the IDPs have been staging fresh agitations and protests opposing the state government’s Sangai Festival 2025, which concluded on a low note on Sunday.

The protesters carried placards reading, “We want to return home”, “People boycott Sangai Festival”, “Rights first, tourism later”, “Displaced lives matter”, and “Ensure our fundamental rights”.

These IDPs, belonging to the Meitei community, have been protesting for the past two years, demanding their right to return home. They fled their homesteads after violence broke out on May 3, 2023, which claimed over 260 lives and rendered nearly 60,000 people homeless. Notably, 33 persons remain missing according to the state government’s list.

The government has stated that the IDPs will be resettled in their homes by March 2026.