Imphal: Hundreds of non-camped internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Manipur gathered at the Wall of Remembrance in Tuibong, Churachandpur district, for a sit-in protest on Thursday.
The demonstrators held placards detailing their grievances and urging the authorities to immediately enforce the Manipur High Court order issued on June 11, 2026.
The High Court directive requires the state administration to provide relief materials to non-camped IDPs on an equal footing with those residing in official relief camps. The authorities have been given a deadline of September 7, 2026, to implement the relief measures.
Protesters also demanded the uninterrupted continuation of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) support for camped IDPs until a final and permanent resettlement solution is achieved.
Reuben Haokip, secretary of the IDP Welfare Committee in Churachandpur, addressed the media and spoke about the scale of the crisis. He said a total of 4,389 non-camped IDP families, comprising 20,487 individuals, currently reside across the district.
Financial distress remains a major challenge, compounded by rising land prices and the difficulty of constructing homes without substantial government assistance.
Haokip criticised the local administration and social leaders, saying that unlike Imphal and Kangpokpi districts, where such divisions do not exist, Churachandpur IDPs have been divided into camped and non-camped categories.
The IDP Welfare Committee submitted a formal forwarding letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur but reported that it had not received an actionable response.
While local MLAs have not yet been directly approached on the matter, representatives have reached out to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen seeking her intervention.
Committee leaders said they would pursue available legal and administrative avenues until the High Court order is fully implemented and dignified resettlement is secured.