Mass protests mark Day 1 of Sangai Festival
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 21: Mass protests and boycott marked the opening day of Manipur Sangai Festival 2025 with IDPs, CSOs and the general public staging protest demonstrations at several places.
Meira Paibis and local club volunteers of Soibam Leikai and Wangkhei Khunou staged a protest demonstration at Citizen’s Club, Soibam Leikai ground under the aegis of COCOMI.
Speaking by the sideline of the protest demonstration, Citizens Club president Naorem Mahendra said that the Government’s decision to hold Manipur Sangai Festival when more than 60,000 people have been suffering untold misery for over two years and a half is quite absurd and illogical.
Everybody will welcome the Sangai Festival if it is celebrated after the crisis is resolved and all the IDPs are resettled at their homes.
The way the Government is organising the festival forcibly by completely ignoring all the voices of objection is highly condemnable, he said.
The Citizens Club strongly condemned the brute force unleashed by security forces upon COCOMI members and women protesters at Palace Compound on Thursday, he said.
He said that the Citizens Club also condemned how IGP Themthing Ngasangva barged into the premises of the royal palace of titular king and Rajya Sabha Member Leisemba Sanajaoba.
He further condemned the brutal assault on a woman doctor by a police personnel.
Boycotting the Manipur Sangai Festival 2025, a similar protest demonstration was staged at Nongmeibung Nambam Chuthek.
The protest was organised by the Nongmeibung Women Development Meira Paibi Association.
The Meira Paibi group’s joint secretary Ningthoujam Menaka said that they will support every movement launched by CSOs until the Manipur crisis is resolved.
A large number of people protested the Manipur Sangai Festival by forming a human chain at Kyamgei Pal Ahanbi along Imphal-Moreh highway.
The protest was jointly organised by the All Kyamgei Nupi Chaokhat Thourang Lup (AKNCTL) and Peace and Integrity Committee, Kyamgei (PICK).
They shouted slogans like “Manipur people boycott Sangai Festival”, “Displaced lives matter, not empty festivals”, “Rights first, tourism later” etc.
AKNCTL president Moirangthem Subita said that the Governor-in-Council takes Sangai Festival more seriously than the suffering of the people, and this is highly condemnable.
Saying that the festival is just an illusion and the people of Kyamgei will not join it, she appealed to all people not to join the festival.
PICK convenor Ch Meghachandra said that National Highways are still inaccessible to more than 50 per cent of the State’s population and more than 60,000 displaced people have been facing untold hardships in relief camps.
He said that the Governor must take befitting action against IGP Themthing Ngasangva for violating protocol and barging into the royal palace of Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Leisemba Sanajaoba.
He also demanded befitting action against the police personnel who physically assaulted a woman doctor.
IMPHAL, Nov 21: Mass protests and boycott marked the opening day of Manipur Sangai Festival 2025 with IDPs, CSOs and the general public staging protest demonstrations at several places.
Meira Paibis and local club volunteers of Soibam Leikai and Wangkhei Khunou staged a protest demonstration at Citizen’s Club, Soibam Leikai ground under the aegis of COCOMI.
Speaking by the sideline of the protest demonstration, Citizens Club president Naorem Mahendra said that the Government’s decision to hold Manipur Sangai Festival when more than 60,000 people have been suffering untold misery for over two years and a half is quite absurd and illogical.
Everybody will welcome the Sangai Festival if it is celebrated after the crisis is resolved and all the IDPs are resettled at their homes.
The way the Government is organising the festival forcibly by completely ignoring all the voices of objection is highly condemnable, he said.
The Citizens Club strongly condemned the brute force unleashed by security forces upon COCOMI members and women protesters at Palace Compound on Thursday, he said.
He said that the Citizens Club also condemned how IGP Themthing Ngasangva barged into the premises of the royal palace of titular king and Rajya Sabha Member Leisemba Sanajaoba.
He further condemned the brutal assault on a woman doctor by a police personnel.
Boycotting the Manipur Sangai Festival 2025, a similar protest demonstration was staged at Nongmeibung Nambam Chuthek.
The protest was organised by the Nongmeibung Women Development Meira Paibi Association.
The Meira Paibi group’s joint secretary Ningthoujam Menaka said that they will support every movement launched by CSOs until the Manipur crisis is resolved.
A large number of people protested the Manipur Sangai Festival by forming a human chain at Kyamgei Pal Ahanbi along Imphal-Moreh highway.
The protest was jointly organised by the All Kyamgei Nupi Chaokhat Thourang Lup (AKNCTL) and Peace and Integrity Committee, Kyamgei (PICK).
They shouted slogans like “Manipur people boycott Sangai Festival”, “Displaced lives matter, not empty festivals”, “Rights first, tourism later” etc.
AKNCTL president Moirangthem Subita said that the Governor-in-Council takes Sangai Festival more seriously than the suffering of the people, and this is highly condemnable.
Saying that the festival is just an illusion and the people of Kyamgei will not join it, she appealed to all people not to join the festival.
PICK convenor Ch Meghachandra said that National Highways are still inaccessible to more than 50 per cent of the State’s population and more than 60,000 displaced people have been facing untold hardships in relief camps.
He said that the Governor must take befitting action against IGP Themthing Ngasangva for violating protocol and barging into the royal palace of Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Leisemba Sanajaoba.
He also demanded befitting action against the police personnel who physically assaulted a woman doctor.