Imphal, August 1:   Tensions soared today as police used tear gas to disperse a rally organized by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Akampat Relief Camps. The protest, led by the Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims (COPMeV), aimed to present a memorandum to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, demanding the right for IDPs to return to their homes.

The protest sought urgent action from the state government to address the plight of those displaced by ethnic violence in the region since May 2023. Marchers paraded through Akampat demanding immediate government intervention. Tensions soared when police clashed with the protesters near Ideal Girl College, causing significant disruption to local schools.The situation grew more volatile as some locals joined the demonstrators and began throwing stones at the security forces.

The unrest resulted in at least three injuries and an assault on an Impact TV journalist. The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union and the Editor Guild of Manipur have strongly condemned the attack on the journalist and called for greater protection for media workers.

Protesters, many of whom come from Moreh near the Manipur-Myanmar border, are demanding immediate resettlement, the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from their areas, and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).