Imphal, Nov 19: Tension is escalating in Manipur as a bandh grips parts of the valley region today, triggered by a growing rift between the Governor-led administration and civil society groups over the state’s flagship event — the Sangai Festival, scheduled to begin on November 21.
The festival, suspended for the past two years due to the ethnic conflict, is being positioned by the administration as a symbolic step toward restoring normalcy in a state under President’s Rule since February. However, several civil society organisations, including a prominent Meitei body, have called for a dawn-to-dusk protest on November 21, urging the public to oppose the government’s decision to go ahead with celebrations amid unresolved humanitarian concerns.
At the heart of the agitation is a boycott call issued by internally displaced persons (IDPs), who say the festival cannot be held while thousands remain uprooted by the ongoing ethnic violence. Civil society groups have rallied behind the IDPs, intensifying pressure on the government and prompting today’s shutdown across multiple pockets of the valley.
Despite the growing resistance, the administration is standing firm. In a statement issued on November 18, Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel appealed to the people of Manipur — including the displaced communities — to extend “their fullest cooperation” to ensure the festival’s grand success.
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