Imphal: Hundreds of internally displaced persons swarmed government offices today. They targeted the Thoubal and Bishnupur Deputy Commissioner offices and the Sawombung Sub-Divisional Officer office. These people fled their homes after ethnic violence ignited on May 3, 2023. Their villages burned. Their property vanished. Now, they face new economic uncertainty.
Protesters claim the state stopped their monthly ration allowance of Rs 100 per person for July. This money usually hits bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer during the first week of the month. July is ending. The cash never arrived. Officials allegedly told families the benefit was pulled for anyone living outside government-run relief camps.
The demonstrators called the decision “deeply insensitive” and argued that it ignores the harsh realities faced by displaced families. Families moved out of camps to escape overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a lack of privacy. Some claimed up to 15 people squeezed into single rooms. Others needed to cook their own food because communal kitchens could not support children, the elderly, or the sick.
Families relied on the allowance for food, transport, and medical bills. The protesters filed memoranda at the offices today. They demand the government reverse the order and restore the payments immediately. They warn that stopping aid penalizes people for seeking better living conditions. The families stay displaced and cannot return home. They need this support to survive.
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