Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Lamboikhongnangkhong Relief Camp today carried out a rally along the Uripok Road stretch, protesting the government’s insistence on organizing the Sangai Festival 2025 under President’s Rule while thousands remain in relief centres.
Marching in a long column from the camp gate toward Uripok junction, the IDPs held placards reading “Resettlement Before Celebration,” “Festival of Whose Peace?” and “We Live in Camps, Not in Normalcy.” Women leading the rally said the festival was being projected as a symbol of “peace,” while the reality on the ground continues to deny displaced families security and dignity.
“Our children study in relief tents, yet the government wants to show visitors that everything is fine,” said the protestors.
They stressed they were not against tourism but demanded that rehabilitation, free movement, and safe return must come first.
