Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Singjamei Akampat Relief Camp staged a protest today, burning copies of a recent report released by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and demanding its immediate withdrawal.
The protesting inmates accused the PUCL of misrepresenting facts and portraying them in a negative light, thereby aggravating communal tensions instead of addressing the prolonged crisis in Manipur.
Speaking to the media, IDP representative Leishangthem Inaocha said, “We have been sheltering at this camp since the outbreak of violence on May 3, 2023. PUCL’s suggestion that we were involved in violence is baseless and unacceptable.”
The displaced families asserted that they are victims whose homes were destroyed and loved ones attacked. They accused PUCL of relying on selective interviews that, according to them, portrayed the Kuki community as victims while painting the Meitei community as aggressors.
“We demand that PUCL withdraw its report immediately and refrain from publishing biased accounts that create further division among communities,” the IDPs declared.
The protest underscores the growing discontent among displaced communities over what they view as unfair and one-sided narratives, reflecting the deep sensitivities surrounding Manipur’s ongoing conflict.
