A conglomerate of five Meitei-based organisations representing community members displaced from Kuki-Zo-majority Churachandpur on Monday appealed to the Manipur administration, seeking urgent rehabilitation and resettlement.
The groups said the measures are “critical for the survival, dignity, and future rehabilitation” of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Churachandpur.
A delegation of the Churachandpur Meitei United Committee (CMUC)—comprising the Meitei Society Churachandpur, Meitei Youth Organisation, Meitei Ethnic Clash Victim Committee, Ima Leimarel Churachandpur, and Nupi Samaj Churachandpur—submitted a memorandum to Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. The
memorandum drew attention to resolutions adopted at a meeting of Churachandpur Meitei IDPs held at Mangotnganbi College, Ningthoukhong, on April 13.
The organisations broadly sought livelihood support through government employment and temporary shelter arrangements for Meitei IDPs currently living in the Imphal valley. Copies of the memorandum were also submitted to the chief secretary, the Kumbi MLA, and the deputy commissioner of Bishnupur district.
The ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo communities, which erupted on May 3, 2023, has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people. President’s Rule was imposed in February this year following the resignation of chief minister N. Biren Singh. While violence has ebbed, efforts to initiate a meaningful peace process have not yet borne fruit.
Sources said the demands made by the Churachandpur Meitei IDPs mirror those of displaced persons across the ethnic divide—whether in the Kuki-Zo-dominated hills or Meitei-dominated valley. With no resolution in sight, displaced families are increasingly anxious, with many yearning for opportunities to rebuild their lives.
The memorandum stated: “It was resolved that each displaced Meitei family from Churachandpur must be allocated appropriate government employment opportunities under a dedicated livelihood programme based on the skills available with the IDPs.” It urged both the Centre and the state to coordinate and implement such a programme to ensure socio-economic stability.
Calling for temporary shelters, the CMUC urged the government to facilitate the construction of interim housing at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district—around 11 km from Churachandpur—where each of the
estimated 2,000 displaced families could be allotted 0.04 acres of land.
If government land is unavailable, the memorandum said, 80 acres of private land may be acquired to accommodate the displaced. These measures, it noted, are vital to the survival and dignity of the Meitei IDPs.