Imphal, June 18, 2025: Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou tribe, has submitted a formal memorandum to key central and state authorities, calling for the urgent recognition of a Third Category of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) - specifically those Thadou families who fled the ethnic violence in Manipur but are currently living outside the state or relief camps and remain unregistered and unsupported by government agencies.
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The memorandum, submitted on June 17, was addressed to:
1. Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, Government of India
2. Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Governor of Manipur
3. Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal, Chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee on Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Displaced Persons
4. Shri Prashant Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur
TIM emphasized that these displaced families, though genuine victims of the violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, are excluded from the two official IDP categories currently recognized by the Manipur government:
• Category 1: Campers residing in government-run relief camps and registered with Deputy Commissioners.
• Category 2: Non-campers residing within Manipur but outside relief camps, also registered with Deputy Commissioners.
The proposed Third Category, as defined by TIM, includes Thadou persons who:
• Fled intense violence and lost most of their property and land,
• Are currently residing in cities such as Delhi, Guwahati, Shillong, and Bengaluru under severe psychological, economic, and social hardship,
• Have not been officially recognized as IDPs by any government authority,
• Have not received any form of relief, compensation, or rehabilitation from either the state or central government to date.
TIM urged the authorities to immediately issue Displacement Certificates and carry out a formal verification process to include these families in relief and rehabilitation frameworks. They stressed that the displacement of these Thadou families was not a matter of choice, but a matter of fear and survival.
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“Survival should be recognized, not punished,” TIM said, adding that these families have endured nearly two years of neglect and must now be formally acknowledged as Internally Displaced Persons under a distinct and just category. A preliminary list of such families was also enclosed with the memorandum.
