Displaced families face death, despair
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IMP/BPR/KPI, Jun 21
The conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur, which erupted on May 3, 2023, brought a triple tragedy upon septuagenarian Philem Ibo-hal, a former shopkeeper from the Meitei community in Kuki-dominated Chura-chandpur district.
First, his house and shop were torched during the violence. Then, his two sons — Ramesh (44) and Rabi (34) — died in the relief camp in February 2025.
“Ramesh had liver issues, but Rabi did not have any major health problems,” Ibohol and his wife, Yaima, told DH at the relief camp in Laisoi, Bishnupur district, located about 50 km from Imphal, the State capital.
“We could not take them to a good doctor because of the conflict,” Yaima added.
The couple had four sons, one of them had died earlier in Churachandpur. Their only surviving son works in Imphal.
“The family is devastated. Because of all this, the mother is now suffering from psychological issues. How much pain can a mother take?” asked Thoibi Thingujam, another displaced person at the relief camp.
The prolonged conflict has left deep scars across communities, with both Kuki and Meitei families in relief camps grappling with deaths, trauma, untreated illnesses, unemployment and growing hopelessness.
The lack of timely medical care, poor living conditions and prolonged uncertainty in the relief camps have worsened physical and psychological distress of displaced people, pushing several families to the brink.
The conflict has claimed more than 260 lives and displaced over 60,000 people. Thousands of Kukis were forced to flee the Meitei-dominated Valley and seek refuge in Kuki-majority areas, while Meiteis similarly moved out of Kuki-dominated regions. More than three years after the violence erupted, the situation remains largely unchanged.
Members of the two communities are still unable to travel freely to each other's areas due to persistent security concerns and deep-rooted mistrust.
Asem Bimalata, another displaced Meitei woman, sat quietly on a wooden bench with a few other inmates.
Her husband, Asem Inao, died in the relief camp in August last year due to a massive heart attack.
“He did not have any health issues before. The heart attack could have been due to the trauma we have gone through,” Bimalata told DH.
Inao, a daily wager, had been under severe distress after losing his home and livelihood.
More than 300 displaced Meiteis from Bishnupur and the adjoining fringe areas have been taking shelter in the buildings of a water sports complex on the banks of the picturesque Loktak Lake, which was converted into a relief camp by the Government.
The camp has witnessed the deaths of at least five inmates, while another person died by suicide.
“Two more people here attempted suicide but were saved by neighbours,” said Loitongbam Surchand Singh, a teacher from Churachandpur, who has been living in the camp with his family.
“Depression among us is growing because we do not see any hope of this conflict ending anytime soon,” he said.
The only silver lining in this camp is that some of the women have taken up income-generating activities such as weaving, tailoring and horticulture, as they try to rebuild their lives.
A similar scene prevails at the Ideal Girls College campus in the Akampat area of Imphal, where more than 400 Meiteis from Moreh and nearby areas in Tengnoupal district, about 120 km away, have been taking shelter since May 2023.
At least four persons have died there, with fellow inmates claiming that they could not be provided timely medical treatment. “Even today, an elderly woman died. She had heart disease and diabetes, but the family was not in a position to provide treatment,” Kh Khamba, an inmate, told DH.
More than 4,000 Meiteis from Moreh are currently taking shelter in nine relief camps across the Valley.
“In the past three years, at least 45 people have died in these nine camps. Trauma, depression and the inability of families to provide proper medical treatment are the main reasons. The Government must do something immediately to end this conflict,” Khamba added.
Khamba, who ran a transport business in Moreh, a trading hub on the border with Myanmar, is now unemployed.
“There is no work here and we cannot go home. The Government has not allowed us to return, citing the fear of attacks by the Kukis. Displaced persons from both communities do not want to languish in relief camps any longer,” he said.
Fear of the Kukis
At least three members of the Kuki community have died at the Mandap relief camp, housed in a community hall in Kangpokpi district, about 40 km north of Imphal, with residents attributing the deaths to depression and lack of timely medical care.
“We cannot go to the Valley out of fear of attacks by the Meiteis. Now, we cannot travel to the Naga areas also because of the fresh conflict between the Nagas and the Kukis. If someone here suffers from a serious illness, we have no option but to wait and watch our people die, as there are no proper treatment facilities. Many cancer and kidney patients have died because they could not travel outside for dialysis and other critical treatment,” said Lelen Haokip, who worked as a carpenter in Imphal before the conflict, from the relief camp in Kangpokpi.
A grim toll
On June 4, the Manipur Home Department disclosed that at least 731 displaced persons had died in relief camps and Government-provided prefabricated shelters over the past three years, including 25 classified as “unnatural” deaths. The details were released following an RTI application filed by writer and former bureaucrat Hareshwar Goshwami.
According to the data, Churachandpur recorded the highest number of deaths at 248, followed by Bishnupur with 151 deaths, Kangpokpi with 128, Imphal West with 94 and Kakching with 60.
"The Home Department, however, has not yet responded to my query on the reasons leading to the deaths. I have moved the commission in this regard," Goshwami, told DH. The Home Department said 287 displaced persons in relief camps were suffering from terminal illnesses.
“From what I have learnt during my visits to the relief camps, many victims died from hypertension, strokes and trauma triggered by the shock following displacements. The lack of medical facilities, coupled with the inability to transport patients to hospitals because of the conflict, led to many deaths," Goshwami said.
Impact on education
"Can you expect us to concentrate on our studies in such an atmosphere ?" asked Thangjangam Khongsai, a second-semester BA student, gesturing towards the tarpaulin-sheet partitions inside a relief camp at the Zalen community hall in Kangpokpi district.
As many as 161 displaced persons, including 60 children, have been living in the camp since 2023.
"I could not attend a Staff Selection Commission interview because of the conflict. We cannot travel to Imphal, and there is no examination centre here," he told DH.
Education has been severely disrupted across Manipur due to the conflict, with the impact extending far beyond the relief camps. Families who can afford it have sent their children to cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Guwahati and Silchar to continue their studies.
"Many students struggle to cope with the CBSE curriculum outside the State as they were educated under the State board system here. Several have also missed interviews and other opportunities because of the situation," a student leader in Imphal said.
Naga-Kuki conflict
Even as the Government continues its efforts to resolve the Meitei-Kuki conflict, fresh tensions between the Nagas and the Kukis have emerged as a new challenge for security forces and displaced families living in relief camps.
The conflict intensified in February when at least two Kukis and a Naga were killed in separate attacks in Ukhrul district. While Ukhrul is predominantly Naga-inhabited, it is also home to several Kuki settlements. Since then, sporadic attacks and retaliatory violence have claimed the lives of more than 20 people from both communities.
The unrest subsequently spread to Naga and Kuki-inhabited villages in districts such as Senapati, a Naga-majority district, and Kangpokpi, which is predominantly Kuki.
Tensions escalated further on June 10 with the recovery of the bodies of six Nagas who had been abducted on May 13.
Deccan Herald
The conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur, which erupted on May 3, 2023, brought a triple tragedy upon septuagenarian Philem Ibo-hal, a former shopkeeper from the Meitei community in Kuki-dominated Chura-chandpur district.
First, his house and shop were torched during the violence. Then, his two sons — Ramesh (44) and Rabi (34) — died in the relief camp in February 2025.
“Ramesh had liver issues, but Rabi did not have any major health problems,” Ibohol and his wife, Yaima, told DH at the relief camp in Laisoi, Bishnupur district, located about 50 km from Imphal, the State capital.
“We could not take them to a good doctor because of the conflict,” Yaima added.
The couple had four sons, one of them had died earlier in Churachandpur. Their only surviving son works in Imphal.
“The family is devastated. Because of all this, the mother is now suffering from psychological issues. How much pain can a mother take?” asked Thoibi Thingujam, another displaced person at the relief camp.
The prolonged conflict has left deep scars across communities, with both Kuki and Meitei families in relief camps grappling with deaths, trauma, untreated illnesses, unemployment and growing hopelessness.
The lack of timely medical care, poor living conditions and prolonged uncertainty in the relief camps have worsened physical and psychological distress of displaced people, pushing several families to the brink.
The conflict has claimed more than 260 lives and displaced over 60,000 people. Thousands of Kukis were forced to flee the Meitei-dominated Valley and seek refuge in Kuki-majority areas, while Meiteis similarly moved out of Kuki-dominated regions. More than three years after the violence erupted, the situation remains largely unchanged.
Members of the two communities are still unable to travel freely to each other's areas due to persistent security concerns and deep-rooted mistrust.
Asem Bimalata, another displaced Meitei woman, sat quietly on a wooden bench with a few other inmates.
Her husband, Asem Inao, died in the relief camp in August last year due to a massive heart attack.
“He did not have any health issues before. The heart attack could have been due to the trauma we have gone through,” Bimalata told DH.
Inao, a daily wager, had been under severe distress after losing his home and livelihood.
More than 300 displaced Meiteis from Bishnupur and the adjoining fringe areas have been taking shelter in the buildings of a water sports complex on the banks of the picturesque Loktak Lake, which was converted into a relief camp by the Government.
The camp has witnessed the deaths of at least five inmates, while another person died by suicide.
“Two more people here attempted suicide but were saved by neighbours,” said Loitongbam Surchand Singh, a teacher from Churachandpur, who has been living in the camp with his family.
“Depression among us is growing because we do not see any hope of this conflict ending anytime soon,” he said.
The only silver lining in this camp is that some of the women have taken up income-generating activities such as weaving, tailoring and horticulture, as they try to rebuild their lives.
A similar scene prevails at the Ideal Girls College campus in the Akampat area of Imphal, where more than 400 Meiteis from Moreh and nearby areas in Tengnoupal district, about 120 km away, have been taking shelter since May 2023.
At least four persons have died there, with fellow inmates claiming that they could not be provided timely medical treatment. “Even today, an elderly woman died. She had heart disease and diabetes, but the family was not in a position to provide treatment,” Kh Khamba, an inmate, told DH.
More than 4,000 Meiteis from Moreh are currently taking shelter in nine relief camps across the Valley.
“In the past three years, at least 45 people have died in these nine camps. Trauma, depression and the inability of families to provide proper medical treatment are the main reasons. The Government must do something immediately to end this conflict,” Khamba added.
Khamba, who ran a transport business in Moreh, a trading hub on the border with Myanmar, is now unemployed.
“There is no work here and we cannot go home. The Government has not allowed us to return, citing the fear of attacks by the Kukis. Displaced persons from both communities do not want to languish in relief camps any longer,” he said.
Fear of the Kukis
At least three members of the Kuki community have died at the Mandap relief camp, housed in a community hall in Kangpokpi district, about 40 km north of Imphal, with residents attributing the deaths to depression and lack of timely medical care.
“We cannot go to the Valley out of fear of attacks by the Meiteis. Now, we cannot travel to the Naga areas also because of the fresh conflict between the Nagas and the Kukis. If someone here suffers from a serious illness, we have no option but to wait and watch our people die, as there are no proper treatment facilities. Many cancer and kidney patients have died because they could not travel outside for dialysis and other critical treatment,” said Lelen Haokip, who worked as a carpenter in Imphal before the conflict, from the relief camp in Kangpokpi.
A grim toll
On June 4, the Manipur Home Department disclosed that at least 731 displaced persons had died in relief camps and Government-provided prefabricated shelters over the past three years, including 25 classified as “unnatural” deaths. The details were released following an RTI application filed by writer and former bureaucrat Hareshwar Goshwami.
According to the data, Churachandpur recorded the highest number of deaths at 248, followed by Bishnupur with 151 deaths, Kangpokpi with 128, Imphal West with 94 and Kakching with 60.
"The Home Department, however, has not yet responded to my query on the reasons leading to the deaths. I have moved the commission in this regard," Goshwami, told DH. The Home Department said 287 displaced persons in relief camps were suffering from terminal illnesses.
“From what I have learnt during my visits to the relief camps, many victims died from hypertension, strokes and trauma triggered by the shock following displacements. The lack of medical facilities, coupled with the inability to transport patients to hospitals because of the conflict, led to many deaths," Goshwami said.
Impact on education
"Can you expect us to concentrate on our studies in such an atmosphere ?" asked Thangjangam Khongsai, a second-semester BA student, gesturing towards the tarpaulin-sheet partitions inside a relief camp at the Zalen community hall in Kangpokpi district.
As many as 161 displaced persons, including 60 children, have been living in the camp since 2023.
"I could not attend a Staff Selection Commission interview because of the conflict. We cannot travel to Imphal, and there is no examination centre here," he told DH.
Education has been severely disrupted across Manipur due to the conflict, with the impact extending far beyond the relief camps. Families who can afford it have sent their children to cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Guwahati and Silchar to continue their studies.
"Many students struggle to cope with the CBSE curriculum outside the State as they were educated under the State board system here. Several have also missed interviews and other opportunities because of the situation," a student leader in Imphal said.
Naga-Kuki conflict
Even as the Government continues its efforts to resolve the Meitei-Kuki conflict, fresh tensions between the Nagas and the Kukis have emerged as a new challenge for security forces and displaced families living in relief camps.
The conflict intensified in February when at least two Kukis and a Naga were killed in separate attacks in Ukhrul district. While Ukhrul is predominantly Naga-inhabited, it is also home to several Kuki settlements. Since then, sporadic attacks and retaliatory violence have claimed the lives of more than 20 people from both communities.
The unrest subsequently spread to Naga and Kuki-inhabited villages in districts such as Senapati, a Naga-majority district, and Kangpokpi, which is predominantly Kuki.
Tensions escalated further on June 10 with the recovery of the bodies of six Nagas who had been abducted on May 13.
Deccan Herald