Manipur’s displaced people meet PM Modi, seek safe passage to home, jobs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his first-ever visit to Manipur since ethnic violence erupted in the State, met separate groups of people in Churachandpur and Imphal on Saturday (September 13, 2025), who were among the 60,000 people displaced from their homes in 2023.

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The meetings were held in a separate enclosure amid tight security at Peace Ground in Churachandpur and Kangla Fort in Imphal respectively, the two venues where he addressed thousands of residents and inaugurated a slew of projects.

The Hindu spoke with some of the internally displaced people (IDP) who met the Prime Minister.

N. Samananda Singh, 40, a retired Navy personnel, whose home and an under-construction resort at Moreh were burnt down in May 2023, said that he requested the Prime Minister for a regular source of income for the inmates of the relief camp where he is staying presently.

Mr. Singh and 380 other people are staying on the premises of a college, a part of which has been turned into a relief camp.

“I told the Prime Minister that we need jobs, there is no regular source of income… many people have committed suicide here or died of diseases. We cannot secure the future of our children. We have to depend on others for food or work as daily wage labourers during the day to make ends meet,” he said.

Mr. Singh said they use the little money they earn to meet the medical needs of their children or other emergencies.

He said National Highway-2, which connects Imphal valley to Dimapur in Nagaland and further to Assam, has not been opened yet for the movement of the Meitei people. The Union Home Ministry announced last week that NH-2, which passes through Kuki-Zo areas in Kangpokpi district, has been opened for free movement of all vehicles.

“The NH should be opened. We cannot afford air travel. If the roads open, we can travel to Guwahati in Assam and earn some money,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister assured that the State and Central governments will soon find a solution regarding jobs for the IDPs.

After the violence, the Meiteis are based in the Imphal valley, and the Kuki-Zo people are living in the hill districts surrounding the valley. Buffer zones have been created between the valley and the hills to keep the warring communities away.

Chingtham Lembi Devi, 20, a college student, told the Prime Minister that she is “tired” of living in the relief camp and wants to go home. A resident of Moreh, Ms. Devi’s home was burnt down on May 4, 2023, when the family took refuge at a nearby Army camp amid raging violence in the town, adjacent to Myanmar border.

At Churachandpur, Lhingjoujam Haokip, 18, a student whose home in the valley was destroyed in the violence, said that the Prime Minister spoke in Hindi and though she could not understand much, he ensured that “he will solve everything.” Twelve-year-old Nengmeihoi, another IDP, recited a poem in Hindi in front of Mr. Modi, while Samuel, 20, who used to live in Imphal before the violence erupted, said he told the Prime Minister that efforts should be made to restore their livelihoods.