Manipur: IDPs attempt return to Churachandpur; tear gas fired as tension flares at Phugakchao Ikhai

Tension erupted at Phugakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district on November 21 after a large group of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Churachandpur, Torbung Bangla and several abandoned villages attempted to return to their native homes. Security forces stopped the march and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd after the situation turned volatile.

The displaced families, who belonged to adjoining areas of Bishnupur district and the Churachandpur border and Churachandpur district, gathered in large numbers demanding safe passage to their original settlements.

Security personnel blocked their movement beyond Phugakchao Ikhai, the last permissible point for Meiteis, leading to heightened tension. Tear gas was used after protesters insisted on moving forward despite repeated warnings.

One protester said the IDPs decided to march because the President’s Rule administration has gone ahead with organising the Sangai Festival, claiming normalcy has returned in Manipur. He argued that if the state is stable enough to host a major tourism event, displaced people should also be allowed to resettle in their hometowns.

“We are desperate to see our homes, which we left more than two and a half years ago. If the Sangai Festival is being held as a sign of normalcy, why can’t we go back? True normalcy will be when displaced people can return to their villages,” he said, adding that protests would continue unless the government arranges escorted resettlement.

Earlier in the day, another protest took place in Imphal East when IDPs attempted to march toward the main venue of the Sangai Festival at Hapta Kangjeibung. Security forces stopped them at Khurai Lamlong, where a scuffle broke out, and tear gas was also reportedly used to control the situation.