Congress MP from Inner Manipur, Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, on Tuesday sought an urgent discussion in the Lok Sabha on the “prolonged humanitarian crisis” in the strife-hit state, where more than 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing their “third consecutive winter in relief camps”.

He attributed the prevailing situation in Manipur to the “continued failure of the state and central machineries to restore peace, fix accountability and facilitate their safe and dignified return”.

Akoijam had moved a notice of adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha seeking the discussion, but it was not admitted, a statement issued by his office said.

He raised the issue at a time when groups of IDPs have been staging a month-long sit-in in Imphal since December 1, seeking their immediate and safe return to their original homes by December-end, as had been assured by the state government in July.

A valley-based leading pressure group, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi), has been supporting the IDPs and participating in the sit-in.

Before seeking the adjournment motion, Akoijam had also raised the plight of the IDPs during his speech in a discussion on Vande Mataram, demanding a dedicated discussion of at least three hours on the Manipur situation.

The adjournment motion was a follow-up to that demand, intended to bring the matter before the House for urgent consideration and debate.

The MP has consistently raised the Manipur issue in parliamentary debates and proceedings, reiterating his commitment to ensuring that the humanitarian, constitutional and accountability dimensions of the ongoing crisis receive due attention in Parliament, the statement said.

He stressed that legislative oversight “is essential not only to address the plight of IDPs and restore peace in
Manipur, but also to uphold constitutional governance and prevent such failures in the future”.

In his notice seeking adjournment, he said more than two-and-a-half years into the crisis, “deep communal divisions persist, preventing thousands of citizens from returning home. This situation constitutes a grave violation of the right to housing, which the Hon’ble Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed as an integral component of the right to life under
Article 21 of the Constitution, which is sacrosanct. The urgency to rebuild destroyed homes and lives remains unaddressed.”

“The country’s highest court flagged this widely known fact at the beginning of the crisis. In August 2023, the Hon’ble Supreme Court had categorically observed that there was an ‘absolute breakdown of Constitutional machinery’ and law and order in the state of Manipur.

“It is worth noting that this collapse of the constitutional apparatus and law and order in Manipur, which has led to massive human tragedy, occurred despite the
presence of elected governments at the centre and the state backed up by heavy deployment of security forces in Manipur,” his notice for adjournment said.