Churachandpur Meitei seeks legal protection and resettlement
A Meitei organization from Churachandpur has asked a Supreme Court judge to help protect their villages and resettle people displaced by violence in Manipur. This request was made to Justice B R Gavai during his visit to the area, which has faced ethnic conflict. In a memorandum, the Churachandpur Meitei United Committee expressed concerns about encroachment on their lands. They stressed that these villages have historically belonged to the Meitei community. They urged for legal measures to safeguard their ownership and called for improved security measures in the region. Additionally, the committee requested that one member from each displaced Meitei family be offered a government job. They also proposed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) should manage their own relief camps for better transparency. Another group, the Relief Committee Manipur, also met with Justice Gavai. They called for prompt resettlement of IDPs back to their homes and for the freedom to move around the state. Their memorandum included requests for adequate medical services, free education, and priority in job recruitment for the IDPs. Since May 2023, over 250 people have died, and many more have lost their homes due to ongoing ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups in the region.