Displaced Families in Manipur Fear Forced Resettlement as Camp Closure Deadline Nears
Imphal, India — Thousands of people displaced by ethnic violence in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur face renewed uncertainty as the government plans to shut down all temporary relief camps by December, two years after deadly clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
The violence, which began in May 2023, left at least 260 people dead and displaced around 60,000. It was triggered by protests from the mainly Christian Kuki community opposing demands by the mostly Hindu Meiteis for official tribal status, which would grant them access to reserved government benefits and jobs.
Despite repeated government pledges to rehabilitate the displaced, many families remain in makeshift shelters with little clarity about their future. The state’s former chief secretary, Prashant Singh, said camps would close by December and residents unable to return home would be relocated to pre-fabricated housing units, though their locations remain unspecified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to build 7,000 new homes for resettlement during his visit in September, but offered no details on where they would be built.
Manipur remains deeply divided, with Meiteis confined largely to the Imphal Valley and Kukis in the surrounding hills, separated by security-patrolled buffer zones. Displaced residents fear permanent segregation if they cannot return to their original neighborhoods.
“This is not good for a secular, democratic India,” said R.K. Nimai Singh, a former state official, urging resettlement in original homes.
Inside the camps, residents report worsening living conditions, scarce health services, and growing mental distress. Many have turned to small crafts, such as crocheting dolls, to survive.
“I want to return home,” said Chingakham Radha, who was resettled from a camp. “But those hopes are fading with time.”
