Manipur’s Displaced Rally for Resettlement, Face Police Crackdown

Manipur August 1, 2024: On Thursday, a rally organized by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Manipur’s Akampat relief camp faced police action as they demanded resettlement. Displaced by ethnic violence since May 3 of last year, the protestors aimed to march to the chief minister’s bungalow at Babupara in Imphal but were stopped by state forces soon after exiting the camp.

Police fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and used batons against hundreds of protestors, leading to the suffocation and fainting of at least 10 IDPs, who were subsequently taken to a nearby hospital. Additionally, five students from the nearby S Chaoba Memorial English School also fainted due to tear gas exposure and required hospitalization.

The protestors were warned via loudspeakers before the police employed tear gas and mock bombs to disperse the crowd. The protestors retaliated by throwing stones. A local reporter covering the incident was allegedly assaulted by a Manipur Police sub-inspector, who tried to confiscate his phone despite the reporter identifying himself as media.

Another group of IDPs, rallying under the banner “Mass rally on rehabilitation of IDPs,” chanted slogans such as “Send us back to our home,” “We do not want free food from the government,” and “Implement NRC immediately.” The protestors, who began by banging utensils, were blocked by police at Singjamei Chingamathak, approximately four kilometers from the chief minister’s residence. They then blocked the Indo-Myanmar Highway-2 (Imphal-Moreh) road for about two hours before dispersing and returning to their relief camps.

Thangjam Budha Meitei, an IDP protestor, stated that they have been suffering for over 15 months and are urging the government to facilitate their return home. Opposition MLA K Ranjit Singh raised the issue in the state assembly, to which the leader of the House, Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, responded that the government is working to restore peace but is cautious about sending IDPs home due to safety concerns, with ongoing peace talks in Silchar.