Manipur shuts down on 2nd anniversary of ethnic violence; IDPs still wait for homecoming

A state-wide shutdown brought Manipur to a standstill on Saturday, marking two years since ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities—violence that claimed over 260 lives, injured more than 1,500, and displaced more than 70,000 people.

Markets were shut, public vehicles remained off the roads, and private offices remained closed in both the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Kuki-majority hill districts. 

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) urged people to cease their work on May 3 to attend the public convention held on this day, marking two years of violence, while the Zomi Students’ Federation (ZSF) and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) in the hills also held similar processions.

While Imphal witnessed a candlelight vigil and a ‘People’s Convention’ at Khuman Lampak Stadium to honour the victims, the Kuki-Zo community observed a solemn ‘Day of Separation’ with memorial events at the Wall of Remembrance and Sehken Burial Site in Churachandpur.

Beyond symbolic observances, the scars of the conflict remain deeply embedded in the lives of thousands still living as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in overcrowded relief camps and prefabricated shelters.

“I used to run a coaching institute in Imphal. It’s all gone now,” says G Kipgen, a Kuki father of three. “I have no income, no home, and I’m worried every day about my children’s future.”

Abung, a Meitei IDP now staying in Bishnupur, shared similar pain. “I had a grocery business. Now, even though I live in a prefab home, it can’t replace the freedom of our own home.”

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Despite the ouster of former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and the imposition of President’s Rule in February, normalcy remains elusive. Community demands have hardened—the Kukis calling for a separate administration, and Meitei groups demanding NRC implementation and deportation of ‘illegal immigrants’.

A senior central security official noted that armed groups have increasingly taken control of both communities, fuelling extortion and recruiting disillusioned youth. “This is one of the most troubling aspects—civilians are caught in a power struggle,” he said.

Meanwhile, government skill development and livelihood initiatives have failed to ease the overwhelming psychological distress and economic despair faced by displaced families.

Abenao Devi, another IDP in Imphal, said, “In the early days, support came regularly. But now we’re invisible. We rely on charity for basics. It’s degrading.”

As the shutdown marks a grim anniversary, hope remains a distant dream for Manipur’s displaced—still yearning not just for peace, but for a return to dignity, stability, and home.