Manipur Sangai Festival kicks off amid protests

Amid gripping tension, the Manipur Sangai Festival began in Imphal on Friday, despite significant public opposition and security clashes.
Governor Ajay Kumar Balla formally inaugurated the 10-day tourism festival at a function at Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT) located adjacent to Hapta Kangjeibung, the main venue of the festival.
The inauguration event went off as scheduled, but the venue told a different story.
Despite the subdued atmosphere and limited attendance, the inaugural event proceeded smoothly under tight security, with government officials taking prominent part in the opening ceremony.
Top administrative officials like state chief secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, DGP Rajiv Singh and senior officials from various departments, attended the inaugural ceremony.
Except two or three, no other MLA was seen in the venue.
In total contrast to previous editions where there was an overwhelming and even uncomfortably large crowds, the opening day this year witnessed a noticeably thin public presence at the venue.
There were no cheering crowds, bustling footfall, or even festive movement as government employees and security personnel formed the bulk of the audience.
Hapta Kangjeibung, the main venue of the festival, wore a deserted look with empty stalls and no visitors. Most stalls were not opened, and only a few government-run stalls functioned partially.
The empty walkways and silent pavilions replaced the vibrant cultural mosaic that once characterized the festival.
Meanwhile, clashes between security forces and protesters erupted at several places across the Imphal city and its outskirts as protest against hosting the festival amid the ongoing crisis intensified on Friday.Several people including police personnel were injured in the clashes.
Tension flared at Khurai area of Imphal East where a scuffle broke out between security forces and protesters, most of them being IDPs sheltered at various relief camps.
The confrontation erupted after protesters attempted to march forcibly towards the festival venue despite strong warning from police officers on duty, prompting security forces to block their advance.
As the protesters defied the warning and pushed forward, security personnel opened fire several rounds of tear gas shells to prevent them from proceeding further.
In the clash, several protesters and police personnel, including top officials of Imphal East district, sustained injuries.
Among them, a security personnel suffered head injuries after being hit by a stone pelted allegedly from the protesters’ side.
Even as the crowd was put under control after some hours of struggle, the situation in the area remained tense with the protesters refusing to retreat. The tension escalated when IDPs at relief camps in other valley districtsstaged protests at their respective places.
Scuffles also broke out at some places where the IDPs attempted to carry out protest rallies. Injuries were inflicted on protesters as the security forces resorted to firing tear gas shells, mock bombs apart from baton-charges.
Displaced persons from the ongoing ethnic conflict, along with members of the COCOMI and other civil bodies, protested demanding for the festival’s cancellation or postponement. They argue that holding a state-sponsored cultural festival mocks the misery of thousands still living in relief camps and affected by the violence that erupted in May 2023.
The COCOMI, alleged that the government instead of finding ways to end the ongoing crisis and taking up measures to rehabilitate the IDPs was going ahead with the Sangai Festival 2025, and called it “anti-people” and “insensitive to the humanitarian crisis gripping Manipur.”
The COCOMI also denounced what it termed the “brutal and unprovoked actions” of security forces against protesters during the demonstrations.
“Such excessive and targeted use of force upon civil society leaders is a clear violation of democratic norms and fundamental civic rights,” the COCOMI stated in a release to the media.
The Sangai Festival is Manipur’s largest annual cultural festival. It had been cancelled in the previous two years due to conflict and as the state has been under President’s Rule since February 2025.
The decision to resume the festival this year has been a major point of contention in the conflict-torn region.