Thousands of people displaced by ethnic clashes in India's north-eastern state of Manipur two years ago now face an uncertain future, as the government plans to shut down all temporary relief camps by December.
The violence, which erupted in May 2023 between the majority Meitei and the indigenous Kuki communities, was the worst the region had witnessed in decades.
It started after protests by the largely Christian Kuki community against the Meiteis, mostly Hindus, who were demanding official tribal status that would grant them access to the same government benefits and job quotas as other tribes, including Kukis.
At least 260 people were killed in the clashes and around 60,000 displaced have since been living in temporary shelters.
Over the past two years, the government has made repeated promises to rehabilitate the displaced, but little has changed on the ground. Many say their lives remain in limbo - effectively homeless and without a steady source of income.
Anxieties grew further in July when the state's then Chief Secretary Prashant Singh announced that all relief camps would be shut down by December and its residents would be resettled.
He added that those unable to return to their homes would be relocated to pre-fabricated housing units. The government, however, did not clarify where these units would be — whether near the relief camps or near displaced people's original homes — worsening their concerns about the future.
Uncertainty grew in September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his first visit to Manipur since the violence began, announced that 7,000 new homes would be built to resettle the displaced in 'appropriate locations' without giving any other details.
On the ground, Manipur remains sharply divided: the Meiteis inhabit the Imphal Valley, while the Kukis live in the surrounding hill districts; and security forces continue to patrol the buffer zones that separate the two communities.
A security official deployed in the area told BBC Hindi that his mandate was to ensure that Meiteis and Kukis remain in their respective areas and do not mix.
As tens of thousands of people continue to live in relief camps, many complain about not receiving the facilities the government promised them. In the camps, residents say prolonged displacement and uncertainty are also taking a toll on their mental health.
The unease, coupled with uncertainty over where the new homes will be built, has raised doubts over whether the government would be able to close all relief camps by December.
Government officials insist that the resettlement plan is on track and that they want to resettle people in the areas from where they fled once they feel safe to return.
However, many displaced individuals express skepticism about their safety and ability to return to their original homes, fearing they might never see them again.
