Manipur gears up for Sangai Festival amid calls for boycott from displaced groups, COCOMI
Work is ongoing at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal. The festival is held every year between 21 November and 30 November. The festival has not been held since 2023 due to the state being the scene of ethnic conflicts.
Imphal valley-based organisations, including the Coordination Committee of Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and representatives of internally displaced persons (IDPs), have called for a boycott of the festival.
COCOMI said: “The ongoing conflict has displaced thousands of people, destroyed livelihoods and destroyed trust between communities, yet the government appears keen to present a false image of normalcy through festivals.”
The state government has stated that no deposit fee will be charged from Internally Displaced Persons who want to set up a stall.
More than 260 people were killed, 1,500 injured and more than 70,000 people were displaced after ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities on May 3, 2023, following the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ held in the hill areas to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Manipur has been under Presidential Rule since February 13, four days after N. Biren Singh resigned as Prime Minister on February 9. The term of the suspended 60-member Manipur Assembly continues until 2027.
