Hundreds of internally displaced persons staged a rally in Manipur’s capital, Imphal, on Tuesday, demanding security assurances for their return to villages in the foothills that they were forced to abandon.
The protesters marched in groups, holding placards and raising slogans to draw attention to their prolonged displacement and the hardships faced in relief camps.
The rally followed a month-long protest in December by displaced families and the umbrella body of Meitei civil society organisations, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, or COCOMI.
The groups have been demanding rehabilitation and the restoration of normal life for displaced people.
The procession was stopped near Keishampat in central Imphal, where arguments broke out between protesters and the police. Later, a delegation of 11 representatives led by COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba was allowed to proceed to submit memorandums to the chief secretary’s office and later to Lok Bhawan, seeking urgent government intervention for safe return and rehabilitation.
Speaking to reporters outside Lok Bhawan, Athouba said Governor AK Bhalla told the delegation that there was no such thing as a buffer zone in Manipur. He said the governor described the term as a narrative used by some elements to break up the state and added that a meeting would be held on the issue. Athouba said those promoting the buffer zone narrative should face action.
The protest comes weeks after hundreds of displaced people briefly returned to their village near the foothills in Bishnupur district on December 16, accompanied by district officials. Within 24 hours, they fled again after hearing automatic gunfire from the hills at night. The Border Security Force fired warning rounds in response, and no injuries were reported. Police later said an FIR was filed in connection with indiscriminate firing by Kuki armed groups at Torbung.