Imphal: Two years after the ethnic violence that tore through India’s northeastern state of Manipur, tens of thousands of displaced people remain trapped in limbo, their lives suspended between fragile hope and deep uncertainty. With the government’s plan to close all temporary relief camps by December, the future of nearly 60,000 internally displaced residents hangs in the balance.
The violence that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities was the worst Manipur had seen in decades. What began as protests over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status, a move opposed by the largely Christian Kuki community, quickly turned into large-scale clashes. Entire villages were torched, churches and temples destroyed, and thousands of people fled their homes overnight. At least 260 people were killed in the conflict, and more than 60,000 were forced into makeshift camps. Two years later, many still live in cramped shelters without stable access to food, health care, or jobs.
The violence left Manipur deeply divided, both socially and geographically. The Meiteis now mostly occupy the Imphal Valley, while the Kukis remain in the surrounding hill districts. Security forces patrol the buffer zones that separate the two groups to prevent further clashes. As one security official told BBC Hindi, his duty was to ensure that both communities stayed in their respective areas and did not mix.
The Manipur government has repeatedly pledged to rehabilitate those displaced by the conflict, but progress has been painfully slow. Families who lost everything say they have received little more than assurances. In July, then Chief Secretary Prashant Singh announced that all relief camps would be shut down by December. He said residents would either return to their original homes or be moved to prefabricated housing units. However, officials did not specify where these new homes would be built, leaving many fearful that they would be permanently uprooted from their ancestral lands.
Uncertainty deepened in September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Manipur for the first time since the violence began. He announced that 7,000 new homes would be built to resettle displaced families in appropriate locations, but no details were given on where or when the houses would be constructed. This lack of clarity has led to growing anxiety among both Meitei and Kuki communities.
For many displaced people, life in relief camps is one of endurance and despair. Hatnu Haokip, a 22-year-old from the Kuki community, fled Imphal Valley during the 2023 clashes and now lives in a relief camp in Churachandpur. “Home means only one place, Imphal Valley, but that can’t happen because our village is now surrounded by Meitei people,” she said. Haokip believes that a separate federally administered Kuki territory could provide safety and autonomy for her community, a sentiment shared by many displaced Kukis.
Meitei residents displaced from the hill districts share the same yearning for home. Irom Abung, who once ran a water supply business in Churachandpur, now lives near a buffer zone. “My land remains. I will never sell it because I know I will return one day,” he said. “Efforts must be made to bridge the gap between our two communities so that people can go back to their lives.”
Conditions in relief camps remain dire. Access to health care, education, and basic facilities is limited. Many families survive on small government aid or by doing odd jobs. Nemhoichong Lhungdim, a single mother, said her 11-year-old son lost sight in one eye after an injury that government doctors could not treat. “They said the treatment would cost 300,000 rupees. I don’t have that kind of money,” she said.
Mental health has also become a growing concern. Displaced residents report rising cases of depression and suicide. “My uncle took his own life last year after losing hope. There were no mental health workers to help,” said 25-year-old Salam Monika, who lives in one of the older camps near Imphal.
Some displaced families have been moved into prefabricated houses, but the change has not brought much relief. Chingakham Radha, one of the newly resettled residents, said she earns a small income by making crochet dolls she learned to create in the camp. “The money is very little, just enough to get by. I want to go home, but those hopes are fading,” she said.
Experts warn that resettling displaced people away from their original homes could permanently change Manipur’s social structure. Former Manipur governor’s secretary RK Nimai Singh said that this situation is dangerous for a secular and democratic India. “Resettling them in their original homes is most critical to preserve the state’s social balance,” he said.
The government insists that the rehabilitation process is progressing. “From about 290 camps initially, we have brought the number down to around 260,” a senior Manipur official said. “Eventually, we want to resettle people in the areas from where they fled once they feel safe to return.”
For many displaced residents, however, these assurances are not enough. Safety remains uncertain, and the trauma of 2023 still lingers. Two years after the bloodshed, Manipur remains a state divided by mistrust and fear. As the December deadline to close the relief camps approaches, thousands face the possibility of being uprooted once again, not by violence but by policy.
For people like Hatnu Haokip and Irom Abung, the dream of returning home is undiminished, but it feels increasingly out of reach. Their stories reflect a deeper truth — that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the rebuilding of trust, belonging, and home.