Clashes broke out near Pukhao and Dolaithabi after IDPs tried to breach barricades, prompting security forces to fire tear gas and blank rounds to disperse the swelling crowds.
BY PC Bureau
November 24, 2025: Tension flared in Manipur’s Imphal East on Monday after hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs) attempted to return to their abandoned homes, leading to clashes with security forces at Pukhao and near the Dolaithabi Dam.
Four IDPs sustained minor injuries during the confrontation.
Residents of relief camps in Ekou, Dolaithabi, Yengkhuman, Sajiwa and Swombung — villages along the foothills bordering the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district — began marching towards their localities early in the morning. Security forces intercepted the groups at multiple points, repeatedly warning them not to enter “Red Zone” areas still considered highly volatile.
“We want to go back to our homes.”
But this is how peaceful protest by IDPs of #Manipur have been treated by the Security Forces.This is just deprievment of human rights. @UN @PIBHomeAffairs pic.twitter.com/18FnB9IPt8— non-opinionated (@pendabanahelle) November 24, 2025
Despite the advisories, the displaced villagers insisted that the ongoing Sangai Festival signalled a return to normalcy and argued that they should be allowed to go home. Many expressed frustration over continuing life inside relief camps.
“We are farmers. We have lost our livelihood since the day we fled. If the government claims normalcy has returned, why can’t we go home? Why force us to stay in camps instead of dealing with the militants?” protester S. Kumarjit Meitei told reporters.
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The situation escalated near Dolaithabi when protesters attempted to cross barbed-wire barricades erected by security personnel. A scuffle broke out as the crowd pushed forward, causing several people to stumble and sustain injuries. Tension spiked further after demonstrators alleged that a BSF vehicle nearly hit one participant.
Security forces responded with tear gas shells and a few blank rounds to disperse the advancing groups as the situation threatened to spiral.
For many IDPs, this was their first attempt to revisit their homes nearly two years after fleeing ethnic violence. Emotional scenes played out across deserted neighbourhoods.
“At several places, we saw cooking utensils and basins lying around. The fruit trees seemed plucked — most likely by security personnel stationed nearby,” said one IDP, Noni.
Another returnee, Mayenbam Jack, was devastated by what he saw: “Tin sheets are lying everywhere. My house collapsed on its own. The gate and the old granary are still standing, but everything else is gone. I don’t want to come back again.”
Monday’s mobilisation mirrors a similar attempt in Bishnupur district on the opening day of the Sangai Festival, underscoring the growing desperation among displaced families determined to reclaim their homes despite continued security restrictions.
Security forces remain on heightened alert as IDP groups continue to move through vulnerable pockets of Imphal East, raising concerns of further confrontations in the coming days.
