Preparations for the Sangai Festival 2025 continue in full swing at Hatta Kangjeibung, even as resentment grows among thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) who have been living in relief camps for more than two and a half years.

The festival, scheduled from November 21 to 30, has become a flashpoint, with displaced communities questioning the government’s priorities under President’s Rule.

Mass sit-in protests were held across several relief camps in the valley districts, while tensions escalated around the main venue as demonstrators denounced the decision to hold the event amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Many IDPs voiced frustration, asking whether “the value of the Sangai deer is being placed above the lives of displaced people.”

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