manipur-idps-protest-in-relief-camps-against-sangai-festival

Discontent simmered across relief camps in Manipur as hundreds of internally displaced persons held coordinated sit-ins on Thursday, opposing the state government’s decision to reopen the Sangai tourism festival while thousands of families remain unsettled.

 

Sit-ins were reported from relief centres at Lamboikhongnangkhong Trade Centre, Konthoujam and Wangjing Kodompokpi Sports Complex in Imphal West, and from Sajiwa and Akampat in Imphal East. Demonstrators carried placards demanding that rehabilitation be prioritised ahead of the state’s flagship cultural showcase.

 

The Sangai festival, suspended for two years following the ethnic clashes that broke out in May 2023, is scheduled to run from November 21 to 30. Civil society organisations have also called for a boycott, citing the continuing humanitarian crisis.

 

At one of the camps in Lamboikhongnangkhong, IDP Shanta Singh said, “We are barely surviving at the relief camps. It’s heartbreaking to see that our issues are being gradually sidelined to portray a normalcy in the state. We demand our resettlement before any mega festival is organised by the government.”

 

Also read: Manipur IDPs say Sangai Festival mocks their misery, seek boycott

 

Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February, with at least 260 people killed and thousands displaced in clashes between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities over the past year and a half. Many of those uprooted continue to live in makeshift camps with limited resources.

 

Security forces have been deployed in greater numbers across Imphal, particularly around the main festival venue, as authorities prepare to go ahead with the event despite the objections.

 

The state government, however, has maintained that the festival serves both cultural and economic purposes. Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said on Monday. “While the relief and rehabilitation of IDPs (internally displaced persons) is the top priority for the state government, holding of Sangai festival is also important for economic acceleration and providing market linkages to local artisans, entrepreneurs, craftsmen and farmers, boosting trade and investment,” Goel maintained.

 

A 24-hour bandh called by a proscribed outfit opposing the festival partially disrupted normal life in the Imphal valley on Wednesday.