People's convention affirms Manipur as indivisible entity
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 03 2025: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), along with the people of Manipur, marked two years of ethnic strife in the state with a people's convention held at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex on Saturday, and reaffirmed the state as an indivisible entity.

After threadbare discussion and collective assessment, the people's convention titled "The Manipur People's Convention on Manipur Crisis", chaired by COCOMI convener Khuraijam Athouba and moderated by retired IAS officer RK Nimai, unanimously adopted several resolutions in response to the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis that has persisted in the state since May 3, 2023.The convention, preceded by homage to those killed in the violence and attended by thousands from different parts of the state, resolved to reaffirm in absolute and unwavering terms the non-negotiable collective position of the people of Manipur.

It was declared that Manipur was, is, and shall always remain an indivisible entity.

Under no circumstances shall the territorial integrity, historical identity, and political unity of Manipur be compromised.

Any attempt, external or internal, to divide or disintegrate the state will be firmly and collectively opposed by the people of Manipur, the convention declared.

The people's convention, having thoroughly deliberated on the state of affairs and in reflection of the people's aspirations, unanimously adopted several resolutions in response to the continued violence, displacement, and constitutional breakdown that has plagued the state for the past two years.

In the first resolution, under the point "Acknowledgement of State Failure", the convention categorically acknowledged and declared that the Government of India has either wilfully neglected or strategically prolonged the crisis in Manipur to serve its own national and geopolitical interests, thereby gravely undermining the rights, safety, and dignity of the native and indigenous people of Manipur.

In the second resolution, titled "Demand for Accountability", the convention demanded that the Government of India formally accept responsibility for its role in perpetuating the crisis and immediately initiate a comprehensive, time-bound roadmap for the restoration of peace, law and order, and a secure environment for all communities in Manipur.

In the third resolution, under the point "Rejection of Government Narrative", the convention vehemently rejected the recent statement by union home minister Amit Shah characterising the crisis as merely a conflict between the Kuki and Meetei communities and dismissing the involvement of terrorism and religious extremism.

The statement was described as misleading, reductionist, and an attempt to downplay the seriousness and complexity of the conflict.

The convention's fourth resolution, under "End to Proxy War and Illegal Patronage", demanded that the Government of India immediately cease all forms of indirect support to foreign-origin armed groups (KNO/UPF) operating in the state.

These groups have been provided safe havens, financial backing, and logistical support under the pretext of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements since 2008.The continued patronage amounts to a proxy war against the indigenous people of Manipur, it said.

The fifth resolution, under "Restoration of Fundamental Rights", resolved that the Government of India must fully restore the constitutional rights of the citizens of Manipur, which have been effectively suspended and grossly violated over the last two years.

These rights include access to justice, communication, freedom of expression, education, health services, and mobility.

The sixth resolution demanded immediate and effective steps to guarantee free and safe movement across the state, while the seventh'resolution called on the Government to initiate decisive legal action against all illegal, anti-national, and anti-peace activities, and to dismantle hostile zones declared by armed groups and CSOs in the hills, as these zones threaten the territorial integrity and harmony of the state.

The convention also resolved to demand urgent intervention to stop widespread deforestation and rampant poppy cultivation in the hill districts.

It called on the government to prosecute all those responsible for ecological destruction and narco-terrorism, which continues to fund armed violence and destabilize the region.

Stressing the need for documentation of illegality, the convention declared that the government must immediately document and disclose all records relating to refugees, illegal settlements, and encroachments in the hill areas.

This is crucial to understand the scale of demographic changes and illegal occupation undermining the state's demography and security, it said.

Another key resolution adopted at the convention was the enforcement of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to effectively address the chronic issue of demographic aggression in Manipur, which remains one of the root causes of recurring instability, conflict, and insecurity in the state.

The implementation of NRC is essential to safeguard the indigenous population and preserve the demographic balance, territorial integrity, and socio-political fabric of Manipur, it added.

While stressing the need for the restoration of basic human rights, the convention strongly called for the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), fair and adequate compensation to all IDPs, the right to education for children, justice for missing persons, protection of farmland and farmers, release of all pending compensation to farmers affected by violence and displacement, and protection of sacred sites.

The convention also urgently demanded a complete, verified, and official status report on the whereabouts and present condition of each missing person.

Each report must be immediately produced and made accessible to their families and loved ones without further delay, it said.

In its final declaration, the public convention demanded that the Government of India uphold the rights and dignity of its own citizens within its sovereign territory.

If these demands are not met within a clearly specified timeframe, it would amount to the complete alienation and abandonment of the people of Manipur.

In such a scenario, the people shall be compelled to chart their own course of collective measures, which could affect the mutual relationship between the people of Manipur and the Government of India.

Furthermore, the people of Manipur declared that unless and until the resolutions adopted in the convention are acted upon in earnest, the people shall cease to cooperate with any form of engagement except the Government of India itself.

The people reaffirmed that it is the constitutional and moral responsibility of the Government of India to ensure the rights, safety, and territorial integrity of its citizens in Manipur, and that this responsibility cannot be outsourced, bypassed, or diluted under any circumstances.

In his address at the convention, CO-COMI convener Khuraijam Athouba said that the current crisis is orchestrated by some armed groups led by an infiltrator from Burma (Myanmar).

This infiltrator entered Manipur in 1993, became an Indian citizen, and possessed an Indian passport in 1994.There are documentary evidences and proof of all illegal activities carried out by this person, he said, and demanded concrete action from the Government of India against the armed groups, including closure of their camps in Manipur.

While expressing hope that the public convention would help explore ways and means to deliver justice and resolve the crisis since 2023, Khuraijam Athouba said the resolutions adopted at the convention will be tabled during discussions to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

If the Government of India stands against the resolutions, a collective decision of the people will be taken, and the people shall prepare for that, he added.

Mao Union Imphal vice president KH Sani Mao, who also addressed the convention, said that no single community owns the state and it belongs to all communities.

He said the Union Government must open national highways and allow free movement immediately.

COCOMI consultative committee member Yumnamcha Dilipkumar also addressed the convention and stated that the Government of India has yet to implement any of the promises made regarding the crisis.

Arambai Tenggol supreme leader Korounganba Khuman also addressed the gathering and stressed the need to find ways to resolve the crisis.

He strongly called for unity among all CSOs and assured that he would shoulder any responsibility entrusted to him by the people and the collective decision of CSOs.

Moderator RK Nimai, in his speech, stated that a war cannot be fought without understanding the strategies of the-enemy and that psychological warfare, along with strength, is crucial.

Every step must be thoroughly and collectively discussed, he added.

Altogether, 19 spokespersons well-versed in different topics addressed the convention and later unanimously adopted the resolutions.

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