Imphal: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has stepped up its opposition to the Manipur Sangai Festival 2025, urging citizens across the state to support a complete boycott and join a mass sit-in demonstration called by internally displaced persons (IDPs) on 20 November.
Speaking to the media at the organisation’s Lamphelpat office on 18 November, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said IDP communities had firmly rejected the festival, which is scheduled to begin on 21 November. He criticised the administration under President’s Rule for pushing ahead with extensive preparations despite the prolonged humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of displaced families.
Athouba said IDPs had been suffering severe hardships for more than two and a half years, and holding a large-scale celebration during such widespread distress “goes against the collective interest and sentiment of the people.” He added that the government’s insistence on organising the event had provoked “vehement objections” from the affected communities.
Calling for public solidarity, Athouba said growing frustration among the displaced had prompted them to stage the 20 November protest. He appealed to people across Manipur to support the boycott, arguing that the festival had become a symbol of the government’s “misplaced priorities.”
“It is important to expose that the Sangai Festival is not a festival for the masses, but a festival organised by the Government for the Government alone,” he said.
COCOMI also urged residents in every locality to suspend their daily activities and hold protest demonstrations on 21 November, the day the festival opens, under the slogan “Handak Chahi gi Sangai Festival Eikhoi Saruk Yaroi” (We will not participate in this year’s Sangai Festival).
The organisation said the boycott was intended to send a strong message that the people of Manipur oppose the government’s approach during a prolonged period of crisis and displacement.
