Several Manipur-based organisations staged a mass protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday, December 14, demanding the immediate, safe and dignified return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their original homes in Manipur.

The demonstration was jointly organised by the Delhi Meetei Co-Ordinating Committee (DMCC), Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD) and United Kakching Students (UKS). Addressing the gathering, organisers accused the Government of India of criminal apathy, deliberate inaction and political hypocrisy in handling the prolonged crisis in Manipur. They said that more than a year after large-scale violence erupted, displaced people from both Meetei and Kuki communities continue to live in unsafe and degrading conditions in relief camps.

Protesters rejected what they termed a “divide-and-rule” policy, alleging that armed ethnic groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework were being patronised by the state, thereby deepening ethnic divisions and obstructing the return of displaced families. Several IDPs who were forcibly uprooted from their ancestral villages participated in the protest, warning that prolonged displacement amounted to state-engineered ethnic segregation and collective punishment.

Speakers at the rally said continued confinement in relief camps violated constitutional rights and fundamental human dignity. The protest was addressed by DMCC Convenor Dr Seram Rojesh, DMCC spokesperson Dr Naorem Bobo, DMCC advisor Hijam Rajen, social and gender activist Elizabeth, DMCC women’s wing spokesperson Sangeeta, MSAD president Lanchenbi, and Manipur Sikh and social activist Amarik Singh Pawal.

According to the organisers, over 65,000 people from both communities have been displaced since May 3, 2025, effectively turning them into “refugees in their own land.” They alleged that despite repeated assurances and a publicly announced deadline of December 2025, the Centre has failed to roll out any clear policy framework, rehabilitation roadmap or financial package for resettlement.

The speakers also condemned the alleged use of force by security personnel against peaceful IDPs, claiming civilians asserting their right to return home were targeted, while armed groups under the SoO framework remained unchecked. They argued that security forces are constitutionally mandated to protect civilians, not to enforce internal divisions or buffer zones within a state.