Amnesty International (AI) urged India on Friday to immediately “implement a clear, inclusive and time‑bound plan for the safe and voluntary return of communities” displaced by two years of ethnic violence in Manipur. As of Thursday, more than 58,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from both the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki‑Zo communities remain housed in 281 makeshift relief camps across the state in cramped, unsanitary conditions with minimal access to healthcare and nutrition.
According to government data, the Home Ministry allocated ₹21.7 million (approximately, US $256,600) for relief and rehabilitation in the 2024‑25 fiscal year while president’s rule has been in force since February 2025. Yet camp residents report regular outbreaks of measles, dysentery and fever while those suffering from cancer, tuberculosis or kidney failure are unable to access specialist treatment. Amnesty International India board chair Aakar Patel noted: “Tens of thousands remain in limbo, forced to endure life in inhumane conditions with no end in sight.”
Psychological trauma and mistrust of authorities have been compounded by the failure to bring perpetrators to justice. According to the Supreme Court‑monitored Special Investigation Teams, only 6 per cent of the 3,023 registered cases, including 126 murders, nine sexual crime cases and 2,888 property damage offenses, have progressed to formal charges. In August 2023, the Supreme Court of India lamented an “absolute breakdown of law and order,” citing evidence of police inaction or collusion with vigilante militias.
The violence erupted on two years ago when tribal groups marched to protest a Manipur High Court ruling favoring Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei—a designation previously rejected in 1982 and 2001. Meitei vigilante outfits, Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, seized on the unrest to torch Kuki‑Zo villages, targeting homes, churches and shops. In retaliation, armed Kuki‑Zo militants attacked Meitei settlements in the hills, killing civilians and assaulting security‑force posts.
Authorities compounded the crisis by imposing internet shutdowns for over 200 days in 2023 and have maintained intermittent bans ever since. In April 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament that discussions on a rehabilitation package were “ongoing” and that relief camps now offer primary schooling, online technical and medical education, and basic medical supplies. However, camp workers dismissed the measures as falling far too short of needs. According to one volunteer worker, “We receive two meals a day, but the portions are small and the food is poor quality.”
AI called on India to implement a time‑bound repatriation plan, guarantee reparations and prosecute all those responsible for human rights abuses, warning that continued impunity will only sow the seeds of fresh conflict.
