Manipur: Civil Society Orgs Want Aborted Peace Panel Proposal Reactivated

Kolkata: Civil society Organisations (CSOs) in Manipur strongly feel that the aborted proposal for setting up a representative peace committee should be reactivated at the earliest by the Centre, as despite some improvement in the law and order situation, “visible” tension prevails. Scattered incidents continue to evoke strong reactions from organisations to which the victims belong, including warnings of action, such as blockades and demands to “hand over the perpetrators immediately”.

Some CSOs reached by NewsClick say the peace committee they are talking about should, among others, include well-known activists from among women, a good number of whom from both the warring sides, who have been victims of sexual assault. Also, neutral sides, such as Nagas and Meitei Muslims (known as Pangals) must be represented on the committee as their counsel may carry more weight with the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.

The CSO say they also prefer the peace committee to hold its deliberations outside Manipur, as in that case the chances of local pressure from both sides would be lessened. They cite the decision of the Supreme Court on March 17, that the trial of the Manipur ethnic violence cases would be conducted in Guwahati where earlier the apex court had transferred in August 2023 all pre-trial proceedings.

Three incidents are cited by CSOs to buttress their stand that the officially-claimed decline in the incidence of widespread violence does not tell the actual Manipur story. There was a fresh bout of violence, though short-lived, on March 8 when the administration under President’s Rule went ahead to execute Union home minister Amit Shah’s fiat issued on March 1 to ensure free movement of vehicles and people. A Kuki protestor was killed in clashes with Central security forces on March 8, in Kuki-Zo majority Kangpokpi district – one of the epicentres of ethnic violence. He could be buried by his community people only on March 13, that is, on the fifth day after he had succumbed.

The strong opposition of Kuki-Zos to the enforcement of Home Minster Shah’s free movement directive caused a delay of almost five days in conducting the burial. The dead body, under 24 hour-vigil by his community people, was the reason for tension.

The second incident occurred on Sunday night, March 16, in Kuki-Zo majority Churachandpur district, which has been in the news without a break since May 3, 2023, when the violence began. On March 16, a Hmar tribal leader was assaulted by miscreants and the situation forced the district authorities to issue prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The assaulted person – Richard Hmar – is general secretary of Hmar Inpui and a member of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum.

The district magistrate’s notification admitted to incidents in which disputes are escalating in some areas “leading to unrest and disturbances that threaten the peaceful co-existence of our citizens”. The prohibitory orders followed a report by the superintendent of police indicating serious apprehension of breach of law and order.  

The third incident also occurred on Sunday, March 16, when a 20-year-old youth of Meitei-dominated West Imphal district was reported missing. His was last seen in tribal-dominated Churchandpur. The disappearance of the youth was the reason for tension gripping both Imphal West and Imphal East – the latter also a Meitei majority district.

The idea of a representative peace committee to bring the two warring sides to the dialogue table and aid and advise the administration was mooted by New Delhi in early June 2023, that is, a month after the outbreak of violence, but it has remained a non-starter.

There are two versions -- one is that both Meiteis and Kuki-Zos in the then prevailing hostile environment did not wish to be part of it. The second version is that Kuki-Zos were strongly opposed as the proposed peace set-up was to include the then Chief Minister N Biren Singh, whom they hold responsible for the discriminatory treatment – politically and administratively – they were subjected to. For this reason, the Centre’s move in June 2023 is considered aborted.

Be that as it may, the CSOs actively pleading for reactivating the proposal are of the view that a representative peace committee with women members and members from neutral Nagas and Muslims, among others, may be able to soften the stance of the hardliners. Reference to the memoranda submitted separately to Governor Ajay Bhalla in February points to a window of hope.

The memo submitted by Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), which was signed by chairman Henlianthang Thanglet and general secretary (administration) Rev Dr V L Nghakthang, spoke of the pressing need “to alleviate public suffering”. It also highlighted the huge backlog of development work; going as far to suggest that “[release of] all development funds for areas represented by us have been halted by the state government .... “ In the context of Pherzawl district, it notes that it is the most neglected district. Extensive infrastructural growth brooks no delay “for standardising the district”.

The memorandum submitted by pro-Meitei Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, signed by its convener Khuraijam Athouba, hopes the administration under Bhalla can provide the much-needed healing touch and pleads for re-establishing law and order “across both hills and plains”. Both sides have pleaded for a coordinated action plan to rehabilitate internally displaced persons.

For the record: A report of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group dated February 14, 2025, observes that for the peace objective, an inclusive committee with representation of both communities of women, among others, “would be best placed to address the collective trauma of sexual violence and suggest means of reconciliation”. The report also notes that just days after violence erupted in early May 2023 over 20 women’s CSOs met in Guwahati to talk peace and they later urged the then Manipur Governor to form “a non-political peace commission comprising only Kuki-Zo and Meitei women”, with observers from other communities and representatives from the state government and the Centre.

The writer is an independent journalist based in Kolkata, West Bengal.