Coordinated shutdowns by multiple ethnic organisations crippled normal life across 12 of Manipur’s 16 districts on Wednesday, even as fresh data revealed the staggering human cost of the ethnic violence that has gripped the state since May 2023.
Officials said all five valley districts remained affected on the fourth day of a five-day shutdown called by a Joint Action Committee (JAC), protesting the April 7 bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district that killed two children.
Road blockades were reported from several areas, including Sagolband and Patsoi in Imphal West, disrupting movement and leaving streets largely deserted.
Simultaneously, normal life in Naga-inhabited areas across six hill districts was hit on the second day of a three-day shutdown called by the United Naga Council. The protest was against the April 18 killing of two Tangkhul Naga individuals in an ambush at TM Kasom in Ukhrul district.
Supporters of the shutdown blocked roads in Noney district and Yaingangpokpi in Imphal East, also affecting the movement of central security forces.
In Churachandpur, a 13-hour shutdown called by organisations under the Zomi Coordination Committee disrupted daily activity. The protest sought justice for BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, who had been critically injured in a mob attack in May 2023 and died earlier this year in a Gurugram hospital.
Across affected districts, schools, markets, banks and most establishments remained shut, while public transport stayed off the roads. Only pharmacies operated in many areas, and government offices reported thin attendance.
Also read: CRPF men injured, dozens held as Manipur protests turn violent
Even as fresh disruptions unfolded, figures released by the state Home Department in response to an RTI highlighted the continuing humanitarian toll of the conflict.
A total of 58,821 people have been displaced since the violence erupted on May 3, 2023, according to data shared on April 20.
The department said 217 people have died in the violence, based on ex-gratia assistance provided to next of kin.
The scale of displacement has led to the establishment of 174 relief camps as of March 10, 2026. Authorities have also constructed around 3,000 prefabricated houses to accommodate those affected.
The data further showed widespread destruction of property, with 7,894 houses completely destroyed and 2,646 partially damaged during the unrest.
The RTI was filed by Congress leader Hareshwar Goshwami, who said it took him seven months to obtain the information on internally displaced persons.
The ethnic violence, which began in May 2023 between the Meitei community in the valley and Kuki groups in the hills, continues to cast a long shadow over the state.
With recurring shutdowns, protests and fresh incidents of violence, Manipur remains caught in a cycle of disruption, even as thousands continue to live in relief camps nearly three years after the conflict first erupted.
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