IDPs of Manipur stage protest against eviction notice

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Churachandpur and Moreh on Thursday staged a protest against an eviction notice asking them to vacate the government quarters where they are currently taking shelter.
Around 120 families, originally from Moreh, Churachandpur, and Phougakchao Ikhai, a village in Bishnupur adjoining Churachandpur district, displaced by the ongoing ethnic conflict are currently taking shelter at the government quarters meant at Langol Game Village Zone 3 and 4 in Imphal West district.
They were asked to vacate the quarters by an eviction notice issued by Imphal West Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) on May 28 last while informing that the quarters are meant for the employees of the state Public Works Department (PWD).
Upon getting the eviction notice, the IDPs have been requesting the pertinent authorities of the state government to provide them alternative shelter or make necessary arrangements to allow them to return to their original places, during a protest held on May 30.
Alleging that instead of addressing their plights, the government authorities continued to press them to vacate the quarters, the IDPs once again held the protest on Thursday. The IDPs demanded a humane and practical solution before any eviction was carried out while asserting that they too didn’t want to stay at government provided shelter
Protesters held placards read as “Don’t use force to evict us”, “We are victims of this crisis”, “We are also human beings”, etc. during the protest.
The IDPs also expressed distress over the lack of a clear plan for their relocation even after more than two years since they were displaced from their homes.
Notably, while the IDPs shifted to the government quarters, the then chief minister N Biren Singh had proudly announced the relocation of 120 families comprising 460 individuals to the newly constructed alternative housing at the National Games Village in Langol.
The former chief minister, in posts on his social media pages, had affirmed the government’s commitment to the “rehabilitation and well-being of every displaced family.”
The violent conflict erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023 has resulted in the displacement of over 60,000 people. Apart from claiming the lives of over 260 people, the violence has also led to the destruction of homes, including the burning of 4,786 houses.