After Two Years of Violence, People in Manipur’s Relief Camps Ask Modi To Let Them Feel Like Indians

The situation is so dire in the relief camps that several people have died by suicide or in medical emergencies—though the government is yet to release any official data on these cases.

BISHNUPUR, Manipur, India — A large hall is partitioned into several small rooms by thin, worn-out curtains. A stench hangs in the air. The space is crowded; congested even. Meitei families, forced out of their homes, now live here, in the bustling halls of Moirang College in Moirang town, Bishnupur.

At the college, 527 displaced people are living in cramped conditions – served by only 15 washrooms. The lack of basic facilities has led to a rise in health issues, and with no steady source of income, most residents rely entirely on government aid.

The situation is so dire in the relief camps that several people have died by suicide or in medical emergencies – though the government is yet to release any official data on these cases.

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The Wire spoke with one of the survivors, Loitongbam Nanao, 29, who lives in a relief camp in the Moirang area. Nanao attempted suicide last year after struggling to meet even the most basic needs of his family.

“There was no food for my children. I couldn’t earn, and I was in shock at how completely our lives had changed. I felt I had no option left but to take my life,” he told The Wire.

Nanao was saved by the camp’s caretaker, who later had the fan removed from his room to prevent any further attempts. Today, Nanao credits the NGOs working with internally displaced persons for helping his family survive. There are many relief camps in Moirang town as it is one of the closest areas to Kuki-dominated Churachandpur where these Meitei families once lived and had to flee from after the violence.

On March 27 when this correspondent reached Moirang College in the evening, everyone in the relief camp was running towards the main gate of Moirang College to bring dinner for their families. Lentils and rice are what make up daily meals in the camps. Entering the hall, it is evident that no one is enjoying any measure of comfort.

This isn’t just the story of one relief camp or one person. In Manipur, every displaced individual carries a story of loss and a fragile hope – to survive, to return to their villages, and to reclaim a sense of normalcy. Yet, these hopes are dissolving into tears as, despite assurances from the top leadership, the violence-ravaged state remains unchanged. People are left merely breathing, not truly living.

Kajal and her family are having dinner. Kajal speaks with a mix of anger and sadness as she describes her family’s situation. Repeating the same struggles only deepens her trauma; she no longer believes that help will ever reach them. “I met with one of the country’s most powerful leaders, Rahul Gandhi, he told me that things will be fine soon. Nothing has changed for my family,” says Kajal.

Before May 3, 2023, Kajal lived in Kuki-majority Churachandpur. Kukis now can’t reach the Imphal Valley and Meiteis can’t visit the Hills, cutting Kajal off from her home entirely.

“I met Rahul Gandhi in 2023, when I was in the first semester of my BA. I told him about my struggles – and not just mine. I also requested him to pay attention to the situation in Churachandpur, because I knew the suffering there was just as severe,” Kajal says, her voice carrying the weight of a collective grief.

The pain Kajal describes is not just personal; it mirrors the larger tragedy unfolding in Manipur. Today, the state stands divided, not just by geography but by deep communal lines. Invisible borders now separate the Meitei-dominated valley from the Kuki-inhabited hills. While Union home minister Amit Shah has publicly called for free movement across the state, the ground reality remains grim. Crossing into each other’s areas is still dangerous, even life-threatening.

Essential services like education, healthcare, and administration are centred in Imphal, a city now emptied of its Kuki population. This has left thousands from the hill districts cut off. Students have dropped out, unable to access their institutions. In the absence of proper medical care, many have died in relief camps.

This is the pain Kajal speaks of – a pain that echoes across the hills of Manipur.

She tells The Wire that Gandhi asked her to calm down and assured her that the situation in Manipur would return to normal, just as it was before the violence. “For us nothing has changed and we are still living here in relief camps.”

Unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi – who is Member of Parliament from Rae Bareli and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha – has made multiple visits to the conflict-hit state.

Kajal and other residents of the relief camps know that the Congress holds no power – neither at the Centre nor in the state.

The sense of helplessness they feel has only deepened after a visit from Supreme Court judges. On March 22, 2025, a six-judge Supreme Court delegation led by Justice B.R. Gavai travelled to relief camps in violence-hit Manipur, planning for legal and humanitarian support for communities displaced by the state’s long-running ethnic conflict. “Even the judiciary came and left, and we are still here and nothing has changed for us,” Kajal says.

Back in June 2023, the Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh had promised to construct prefabricated temporary houses for the displaced, pledging to relocate them to their original villages once peace returned. Nearly two years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. Thousands still live in makeshift relief camps – cramped, unsanitary, and cut off from any sense of normalcy.

“Please let us return to our homes,” Kajal pleads. “This is not the life we wanted. If the government truly wants peace in Manipur, we should be holding books in our hands, not guns to kill each other. Here, everything has become about blood, gunshots and bombs.”

Her voice trembles as she continues, “We can’t even dream of a better future, something terrible always happens the next day. The government must act urgently. Mothers should be able to sleep peacefully. We don’t want to sleep on the roads. We just want a safe place to rest for at least a year.”

With quiet desperation, she adds, “We request the prime minister of India to visit Manipur, to witness the situation on the ground first hand. Just spend one minute here, and you will understand our pain. The whole country knows about his visits abroad – please, make us feel like we are Indians too.”

Kajal earns around Rs 2,000 per month by teaching kindergarten students. This is not enough to sustain her family of four. She has a younger brother who is in school. The government of Manipur has been giving free classes for those living in relief camps, but Kajal is not a fan of the quality of education. “I am a college student, I am adjusting my budget, my brother is studying in class 9. The government really needs to think of something for us. Just giving two meals is not enough.”

The prolonged displacement has also taken a heavy economic toll. Before the violence, Kajal says that she had been earning around Rs 8,500 a month by teaching. For many like her, the drop in earnings reflects not just a personal struggle, but a broader collapse of livelihood options in conflict-hit Manipur. Women who once worked as farmers, for instance, are now selling candles by the roadside.

Life in Manipur, say locals, is largely unchanged, even under President’s Rule. The death toll has risen since February, when the move was announced. A sore point for residents is that Modi has not visited the state even once since ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023. More than 60,000 people are now living in relief camps, many of their villages reduced to ashes or their original homes occupied illegally. Authorities have struggled to restore peace and order.

When the state had been led by the Bharatiya Janata Party government under N. Biren Singh, the Union and state governments had repeatedly stressed that the “double engine government” – seeing that the BJP is also in power in the Centre – has been a success.

Yet, on the ground, key promises made by Union home minister Amit Shah remain unfulfilled. The only promise that seems to have been delivered upon is the regular supply of rice to the relief camps. Biren Singh, who was chief minister until February 9, also promised to resettle people in their villages, but that promise has not been acted upon. Instead, entire villages appear to have been reduced to rubble.

Fear in President’s Rule

Under President’s Rule in Manipur, one noticeable change on the ground is the growing fear among people to speak openly to the media. People are silent – either they appoint specific representatives to speak on their behalf, or they refuse to talk altogether. When asked why, they usually give two reasons:

1. “Nothing will change by speaking to the media, because the government doesn’t care about Manipur.”
2. “We are afraid of the government. Speaking out could land us in trouble.”

In Manipur, over 250 people have lost their lives in the ongoing violence, and more than 60,000 continue to live in relief camps. Beyond the conflict, poor medical facilities are also claiming lives – adding a silent, preventable toll to the crisis.