Emerging voices from displaced folks Surviving in relief camps
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One point that has emerged prominently in the boycott call of the Sangai Festival is the existence of thousands of people surviving in different relief centres for more than two years now. Lest it is forgotten, the displaced people cut both ways, affecting people on either side of the clash divide. This is a fact that Manipur cannot afford to overlook. It however remains to be seen whether the facts behind the boycott call have registered in the consciousness of the PR administration and by extension the Union Home Ministry or not, but an important point has been delivered. At other times, all roads used to lead to Hapta Kangjeibung the main venue of the Sangai Festival, but 2025 was different and this will surely be marked when one looks back 10 or 15 years down the line. It should also be clear to the ones calling the shots in the PR administration that in as much as the demand of the people was to allow the displaced folks to return home, it was also against the seeming indifference of the Government to the plight of the people who have been forced to survive in the different relief centres for over two years. The stand offs, including even clashes with the police, are all instances of the patience of the people running out and this is a fact that should be acknowledged. Afterall how long can the patience of the people be tested or how long can such patience last ? If one goes back to the not so distant past, former Chief Secretary PK Singh had announced that a conducive atmosphere would have been created, which would then have made it possible for the displaced folks to return to the place they once call home, from December this year. Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Moreh are the places not included in the December deadline. And December is now upon us and there is nothing on ground to show that works have been taken up to enable the people to return home. How about Imphal and the valley districts ? Would it be possible for the Government to arrange the return of the Kuki-Zo people who have left their homes ? This is a question which should not be brushed aside, even as pressure is mounted on the Government to let the displaced people return home, after more than two years. Looking at the reality, expecting the Government, particularly the Union Home Ministry to create the right atmosphere for the displaced folks to return home may just amount to asking for too much, for remember the National Highways are still off limits to the Meiteis, and the claim of the Kuki-Zo Council, ‘The highways were never closed, but we cannot guarantee the safety of anyone’ rings loud. A clear case of the Government abysmally failing to ensure free movement for all sections of the people. It was against this reality that the PR administration at Imphal decided to go ahead with the Sangai Festival.
The Sangai Festival is over. It was a failure, no doubt about it, despite the handsome turnout at the rock show held on November 29. So what lessons have been learnt from the no show of the festival ? An important question for Raj Bhavan and Delhi to mull over seriously and sincerely. It is also important for the people to sincerely mull over the question of whether things would have been different if there had been a popular Government in place. There will be no straight answer to this, for remember the PR administration came only on February 13 this year while Manipur started burning from the evening of May 3, 2023. The question therefore should be on whether a popular Government would have gone ahead with the festival or not. Again no straight answer is expected for this is a speculative question but significant to note that the focus of the people has returned to the plight of the displaced persons who have been surviving in different relief centres for over two years now. And judging from the way in which things have been tackled for over two years now, there is not much seen to ensure that the decks would be cleared for their early return to the place they once called home anytime soon. To repeat a point, it is also equally important not to forget that there are many who have also been displaced from Imphal and the other valley districts. How about them ? What however is clear is the ‘boycott Sangai Festival’ call was against the refusal of the Government to set its priorities right.
The Sangai Festival is over. It was a failure, no doubt about it, despite the handsome turnout at the rock show held on November 29. So what lessons have been learnt from the no show of the festival ? An important question for Raj Bhavan and Delhi to mull over seriously and sincerely. It is also important for the people to sincerely mull over the question of whether things would have been different if there had been a popular Government in place. There will be no straight answer to this, for remember the PR administration came only on February 13 this year while Manipur started burning from the evening of May 3, 2023. The question therefore should be on whether a popular Government would have gone ahead with the festival or not. Again no straight answer is expected for this is a speculative question but significant to note that the focus of the people has returned to the plight of the displaced persons who have been surviving in different relief centres for over two years now. And judging from the way in which things have been tackled for over two years now, there is not much seen to ensure that the decks would be cleared for their early return to the place they once called home anytime soon. To repeat a point, it is also equally important not to forget that there are many who have also been displaced from Imphal and the other valley districts. How about them ? What however is clear is the ‘boycott Sangai Festival’ call was against the refusal of the Government to set its priorities right.