‘We won’t return to relief camps’: Manipur has started resettling those displaced by violence. It’s not without challenges

Aparna Oinam’s family is among the handful who returned to their homes in the area after about a year in a relief camp.

“I decided to return after a year into the conflict, after taking permission from the local authorities and security personnel. I couldn’t abandon everything I had built from scratch. We were merely surviving in the relief camp with no way to earn a living,” said Ibohanbi Thingbaijam, another resident of the area.

The trigger

According to the police, Tuesday night saw “indiscriminate firing by Kuki armed groups”. On Wednesday, police recovered six local improvised mortars called ‘pumpi’ and a three-kilogram IED, along with several empty ammunition cases, from the site. This incident took place a day after displaced Meitei families returned to their homes in Phougakchou Ikhai village in the area on Monday.

Earlier this month, on December 1, state- and district-level committees were formed to strengthen efforts for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The move came after the Manipur Sangai Festival was marred by protests by a section of civil society organisations and displaced people from the Valley, who demanded that the needs of displaced people be addressed before holding a tourism event.

Days after the constitution of these committees, the Bishnupur district administration flagged off the resettlement of 257 displaced people to their homes in Leimaram Waroiching in the district. According to data from the district administration, 389 people from 97 families have been resettled in different parts of the district, including Phougakchou Ikhai, this month. This had been taking place without incident till Tuesday.

Romita Warepam, who had been staying in a relief camp set up in a school in Moirang, was among those who had moved back to her home in Phugakchou Ikhai Mamang Leikai on Monday. According to her, the home was damaged but not destroyed in the violence.

“The main reason we had been pushing to come back was that we were afraid that our homes would be occupied by people from the other side. Security was placed there, and we were given money to help us resettle,” she said.

According to a district official, each of the families was given a first instalment of financial assistance of Rs 40,000 and will later receive another instalment of Rs 35,000. They will also receive a daily allowance of Rs 84 per person for the next few months.

The fallout

The firing incident took place the very next evening, after which the Kuki-Zo Council, based in Churachandpur, called the resettlement of people in this area “deeply irresponsible and provocative” and demanded that it be rolled back.

“A sensitive administration would have avoided resettlement in such a volatile area. Allowing Meitei IDPs to resettle in the buffer zone amounts to inviting renewed conflict… The Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur must take responsibility and roll back the resettlement in this volatile area to avoid further escalation,” read their statement.

A senior security official in the state said that there has been resettlement and movement of displaced people in different parts of the state, including this area, without incident.

“There has been no incident as long as it is done discreetly. However, the evening that people from Phugakchou Ikhai moved back, leaders from COCOMI (a Meitei civil society organisation) visited the area, which may have drawn attention,” said the official.

The COCOMI, on its part, has condemned the ITLF’s statement as “public defence of armed violence” and alleged that armed groups continue to operate “with apparent impunity” in Churachandpur.

A security official who is posted in the “buffer zone” between Bishnupur and Churachandpur said that the area is “highly vulnerable”.

“Not a lot of people have returned to this particular area, but there are some. It is an area vulnerable to sensitivities on either side, but there is heavy security deployment in the buffer zone area, and people are coming and moving into their homes,” he said.

Romita now says that she fears a repeat of violence in the area but that she intends to stay put. “We don’t want to return to the relief camp. What we want is more effective and timely action by the security forces so that we can be safe here instead,” she said.