Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued a stark warning and has submitted a report on the latest case. The report stressed that without urgent intervention, Manipur risks “losing an entire generation”.
TFM Report
In the pre-dawn silence of a relief camp parking shed, the fragile peace of Manipur was shattered once again. A 13-year-old boy who had sought refuge from the state’s ethnic violence, was found hanging early hours of Sunday, becoming the fourth minor in just over two months to die by suicide, casting a long shadow over the region’s recovery.
The incident, reported from the Jiribam Higher Secondary School Relief Camp at 1:50 am, Sunday was confirmed by police, who registered a suo-moto case (UD Case No. 06/JBM-PS/2025) for investigation. For the boy’s family and hundreds of other internally displaced persons (IDPs), the tragedy is a devastating blow. Their home in Lamtai Khunou had been burned down during the ethnic clashes, forcing them into the camp, which has now become the site of an unthinkable loss.
The boy had returned from a Lai Haraoba cultural event around 11 pm on Friday, his mother recounted. Just hours later, he was discovered dead, having used a piece of cloth to end his life. His body was shifted to Jiribam Hospital, with a postmortem scheduled at Silchar Medical College & Hospital.
A Chilling Pattern of Tragedy
The boy’s death is not an isolated incident. It is the latest entry in a grim timeline that reveals a silent epidemic gripping Manipur’s children:
* July 23, 2025: A 13-year-old displaced boy ended his life inside a school hostel in Saiton village.
* August 6, 2025: A 15-year-old boy from Moirang Khoiru Makha Leikai was found hanging at his residence.
* August 23, 2025: A Class IX girl from Thamnapokpi died in a suspected suicide, with initial reports pointing to cyberbullying.
From family homes to temporary hostels and crowded IDP camps, the common thread is chilling: children living on the margins, bearing the invisible scars of a conflict they did not create.
“We Risk Losing an Entire Generation”
The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) has issued a stark warning. Chairperson Keisam Pradipkumar, who has submitted a report on the latest case, stressed that without urgent intervention, Manipur risks “losing an entire generation—whether to suicide, substance abuse, or the lure of violence.”
Pradipkumar pressed for the immediate rollout of the Manipur State Policy for Children, a framework first notified in 2020 for public input and revised in April 2025, which remains in bureaucratic limbo.
“The government cannot afford further delay,” Pradipkumar asserted. “If enforced with a clear action plan, this policy could provide a safety net for vulnerable children, especially those in camps. Under the President’s Rule, this is a chance for a decisive response.”
The Invisible Scars of Displacement
Surveys among displaced families paint a harrowing backdrop of this mental health emergency. Data indicates that nearly two-thirds of IDPs (65.8%) show symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while 40% battle moderate to severe anxiety.
For children, the trauma is compounded by broken education, uprooted lives, and an uncertain future. The psychological wounds run deep, stemming from witnessing homes torched, losing loved ones, and living under the constant shadow of displacement and restricted movement.
This foundational trauma is exacerbated by a cascade of other stressors: the lingering aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, recurring curfews, economic blockades, ethnic conflicts, flash floods, and prolonged internet shutdowns. Symptoms like sleeplessness, social withdrawal, profound hopelessness, and even rising substance abuse are being reported with alarming frequency among the youth.
Peace is More Than Silencing Guns
As Manipur limps toward recovery after two-and-a-half years of ethnic unrest, the suicides of its youngest citizens cut through any illusion of normalcy. The crackle of gunfire may have subsided, but a quieter, more insidious crisis is claiming lives.
The death of boy in a relief camp is a heart-breaking testament that true peace is more than just silencing guns—it is about restoring hope, dignity, and a sense of safety for the children who deserve a future. The state now stands at a precipice, tasked with protecting a generation whose resilience has been stretched to its breaking point.