Displaced Meiteis attempt to return home, clash with police in Manipur
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Displaced members of Manipur’s Meitei community attempted to march back to their villages near the foothills around the Imphal valley, officials said.
Many of them have been living in relief camps for more than two years.
Some among the group announced they would head toward areas such as Churachandpur in southern Manipur and Moreh on the Myanmar border. These locations include Kuki villages and have remained inaccessible to Meiteis from the valley region since the conflict began.
The internally displaced people said they decided to go home after Governor AK Bhalla inaugurated the Sangai Festival, Manipur’s major winter celebration. They argued that holding such a grand event “despite thousands still living in relief camps” meant peace had returned, and they should therefore be allowed to go back to their villages.
Police stopped the groups from moving toward the foothill villages due to security concerns in neighbouring districts. Security forces used mild force to disperse the crowds, officials said.
Earlier, members of COCOMI, an umbrella body of Meitei civil society groups, held protests in several parts of Imphal. They said holding the festival at a time when many remain homeless was inappropriate.
However, another section of the population welcomed the festival, saying it could bring much-needed income during difficult times.
Tension briefly rose in Khurai Lamlong when police fired tear gas and protesters responded by throwing stones.