Manipur MP flags relief camp plight, calls for prompt rehabilitation of displaced families

A call for an immediate and transparent roadmap to resettle Manipur’s internally displaced families dominated a Zero Hour intervention in the Lok Sabha, with Manipur MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam warning that thousands remain stranded in relief camps more than a year after violence first broke out in May 2023.

Akoijam urged the Government to outline a credible plan that would allow displaced residents to return home safely and with dignity, stressing that such steps must be taken before the crisis enters its third year. Speaking in Manipuri, he said the prolonged displacement and the authorities’ handling of the situation had deepened public mistrust.

He alleged that security personnel had used excessive force against internally displaced persons when they staged protests demanding rehabilitation, a move he argued undermines efforts to find a lasting solution. According to the MP, the current situation appears to align with demands from sections of the Kuki community opposing resettlement efforts.

Akoijam also accused individuals with “vested interests” of deliberately obstructing the return of affected families and criticised what he described as governmental irresponsibility that allowed the crisis to worsen. He pressed the Centre to adopt firm, transparent measures to ensure that displaced people can rebuild their lives without further delay.