Sangai Festival begins in Manipur amid protest

The Sangai Festival in Manipur began on Friday, November 21, 2025, amid protests by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and NGO members, which affected attendance.

Many people oppose the annual festival, held after two years, as they feel the State government should resolve ethnic conflict and resettle IDPs before organizing tourism events. Ethnic conflict between tribal Kuki-Zo and non-tribal Meitei communities broke out on May 3, 2023.

Protesters clashed with police for the second consecutive day on Friday after trying to storm the festival site in the state capital Imphal. After the protesters threw stones, the police fired tear gas to restore order.

The clashes took place during a “work stoppage” by the Coordination Committee of Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei pressure group leading the protest. The organization criticized the State government, operating under the Presidential administration, for promoting an “anti-people” festival.

Ahead of the protest, Manipur’s Rajya Sabha member and titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba accused an IPS officer of storming his residence compound.

On Thursday, November 20, 2025, the MP filed a written complaint with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, alleging that IGP (Zone-I) Themthing Ngashangva barged into the compound where he resided around 1.30 pm and threatened the security personnel after claiming that he (MP) was harboring IDPs.

Manipur police said a group of around 50-60 people, identified as COCOMI volunteers, marched by carrying banners and shouting slogans against the festival, defying prohibitory orders issued by Imphal East district authorities.

“Security personnel made repeated attempts to stop the protesters and disperse them peacefully. IGP (Zone-I) Themthing Ngashangva was at the scene and supervised the situation. Police teams, including women personnel, repeatedly tried to stop and disperse the group,” police said in a statement.

The statement also stated that the crowd turned violent, hurling water bottles and banners at the police when a woman protester attacked the IGP and used derogatory racial slurs while discharging his duty.

“The crowd then proceeded towards the palace premises, where Hon’ble MP’s house guards thwarted the efforts of the police, allowing them to enter. The IGP approached the gate to question the action of the house guards. He did not enter the palace premises,” the police said.

Stating that a criminal case has been registered, police said that efforts are on to identify the female protester who attacked the IGP.

Protests on the opening day of the festival, which was opened by the governor, caused low participation.

The last Sangai Festival was held before the ethnic conflict in Manipur that left more than 260 people dead and 62,000 displaced. The state was brought under Presidential rule on February 13 after the BJP failed to reach consensus on the successor of Nongthombam Biren Singh, who resigned as Chief Minister on February 9.