Imphal: After a two-year hiatus, Manipur’s iconic 10-day long Sangai Festival 2025 returned, but a strikingly low turnout on the inaugural ceremony on November 21 (Friday) was witnessed. Unlike the anticipation and excitement that usually run high, the state’s grandest and biggest cultural festival is also drawing criticism from multiple quarters.
The Sangai Festival, named after the endangered brow-antlered deer native to Manipur, is an annual calendar cultural festival that began in 2010.
The festival celebrates and promotes Manipur’s rich culture, natural beauty, and hospitality. However, due to the ongoing crisis in the state, the festival has been suspended for the past two years.
Although the Governor formally inaugurated the event at Hapta Kangjeibung, where around 600 stalls had been set up, many stalls were visibly empty or unoccupied on the first day—a rare occurrence for a festival that typically draws large crowds.
According to the Manipur government, which is under President’s Rule, the decision to celebrate the festival was aimed at bringing the state onto a sustained path of growth and renewing hope, opportunity, economic growth, and unity, while promoting the vibrant culture and rich heritage of the state.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that the Sangai Festival embodies the essence of the ‘Festival of Oneness,’ celebrating indigenous dance, music, crafts, and traditional sports. The Governor highlighted the Manipur Sangai Festival’s enduring role as a unifying platform that showcases the state’s cultural richness, entrepreneurial energy, and tourism potential.
Acknowledging the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the Governor stressed that their well-being remains a paramount state responsibility. He noted government measures, including phased rehabilitation, financial assistance, prefabricated housing, and cash-based support systems to restore stability and dignity.
The Governor appealed to the people to reaffirm the festival’s spirit of oneness and expressed hope for lasting peace, urging people to participate in the festival wholeheartedly.
Likewise, Chief Secretary of Manipur, Puneet Kumar Goel, said the festival is not a mere event, but a collective affirmation of our commitment to moving forward together.
The Chief Secretary reiterated that economic revival, tourism promotion, youth empowerment, and community harmony are vital pillars for bringing Manipur back onto a sustained path of growth. The Sangai Festival aims to embody these goals, acting as a catalyst for renewed hope, opportunity, economic growth, and unity.
Goel maintained that while the relief and rehabilitation of IDPs is the top priority for the state government, holding the Sangai Festival is also important for economic acceleration and to provide market linkages for local artisans, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and farmers, boosting trade and investment.
According to the Chief Secretary, currently, Rs 18.00 crore per month is being spent on providing monetary assistance to the IDPs and for the management of relief camps across the state. Further, a sum of Rs 523 crore has been provided under a Special Relief Package by the Government of India. Out of this, Rs 180 crore has been earmarked for house restoration assistance for displaced families and Rs 250 crore for providing public assets such as health centres, community halls, water supply, schools, etc., at the places where IDPs would be resettled or rehabilitated.
IDPs demand boycott of Sangai Festival 2025:
Despite reassurances from the state government for long-term rehabilitation, the internally displaced persons of the ethnic conflict remained firm in their stand and continued their agitations.
On Thursday (November 20, 2025), a mass sit-in protest against the Sangai Festival 2025 was witnessed across relief camps in valley districts, condemning the government’s decision to hold the festival while thousands remain displaced due to the ongoing conflict on May 3, 2023.
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities has claimed nearly 300 lives and displaced around 60,000 people, who are currently staying in about 250 relief camps across various districts.
According to Meetei Council Moreh secretary, Leishangthem Brojendro Meetei, the government is forcibly organising the festival to project to the world that peace and normalcy have returned to the state. However, he emphasised that no IDPs were participating in the Sangai Festival.
Khuraijam Khamba, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Moreh who has emerged as a prominent voice for those affected by the conflict, raised a pointed question: What will the government showcase to tourists when its own citizens are either unable to safely return to their homes or travel freely along the national highways?
Khamba and his family, along with over 100 displaced families from Moreh, are currently staying in a relief camp at the Ideal Girls’ College in Akampat, Imphal East.
Khamba explained that before the crisis, people could travel by road to Guwahati or other states for medical treatment. Now, however, they are forced to travel by air, which is unaffordable for poor families due to the high cost of airfare.
He urged that the state should first ensure those affected by the crisis can safely return and settle in their homes before celebrating the festival.
Khamba also challenged the government’s attempt to promote economic growth through festivals, pointing out that before the crisis, most IDPs from Moreh were running their own businesses and living comfortably.
He further questioned whether boosting the economy through tourism would truly improve their livelihoods, expressing doubt about its immediate benefits. He emphasised that resettlement should be prioritised first, arguing that revenue from tourism would naturally follow once people’s basic needs are met.
Convenor of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), Khuraijam Athouba, alleged that the festival is not meant for the people, but is merely an event for administrators and government agents.
COCOMI and other prominent civil society organisations have expressed full solidarity with the IDPs’ protest against the festival, calling for the event to be postponed until peace is restored and the tens of thousands of displaced families are resettled.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a protest at Palace Compound on the eve of the Sangai Festival, Athouba condemned the government’s decision to hold the festival while thousands remain displaced due to the ongoing conflict.
“They continue without any change. They do not carry the sentiment of the people nor do they understand it. This administration has repeatedly failed the people of Manipur. They have undermined the humanitarian crisis we are living through and ignored the public mood,” Athouba said.
He added that the priority of the people is not a festival but the restoration of fundamental rights, the reopening of the blocked highways, and ensuring the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“All these urgent concerns have been sidelined, while the government chooses to prioritise a festival that has no connection to the present suffering of the people of Manipur. If the government still refuses to change its course, it will be extremely unfortunate—and we will not turn back,” he added.
Even as the festival entered its fourth day, the IDPs held firm in their demands and continued their protests across the valley districts. The latest agitation was reported from Sajiwa and Sawombung relief camps in Imphal East, where displaced families held a protest march on Monday from Pukhao Terapur.
The protest march escalated into a scuffle when the security forces tried to stop the protestors near the Dolaithabi Dam. As per reports, the confrontation led to several IDPs being injured. The protestors marched to demand a safe return to their homes amid the government’s claims of restoration of peace in the state.
While the festival entered its fourth day, IDPs remained steadfast in their demands and continued protests across the valley districts. The latest agitation took place at Sajiwa and Sawombung relief camps in Imphal East, where displaced families held a protest march on Monday from Pukhao Terapur.
The march escalated into a scuffle when security forces attempted to stop the protestors near Dolaithabi Dam, reportedly resulting in injuries to several IDPs. The protestors marched to demand a safe return to their homes, challenging the government’s claims of restored peace in the state.
The ongoing agitations by IDPs are also supported by the state Congress. Last week, K Meghachandra, president of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), said that the party supports the boycott of the Sangai Festival called by internally displaced persons.
While the Sangai Festival remains a point of pride for many in Manipur, the 2025 edition has highlighted divisions and unresolved issues within the state. Understanding and addressing these concerns is crucial if the festival is to genuinely reflect the hopes and aspirations of all Manipuris, rather than just a select few.
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