Indian security forces partisan, Manipur groups write to UN

The 15 organisations underlined the “breach of inter-community ties and peace” in Manipur and elsewhere in the northeast

GUWAHATI

A conglomerate of 15 Manipur organisations has submitted a memorandum to the United Nations and international rights bodies seeking global attention to the ongoing crisis in the northeastern State.

The organisations include the influential All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation, Manipur Students’ Federation, All Manipur Women’s Voluntary Association, and Pangal (Muslim) Students’ Organisation.

The memorandum was submitted on June 13 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other agencies apart from the Amnesty International.

Flagging the issues of hunger, poverty, and militarisation of Manipur, the organisations flagged the “partisan role” of India’s Central Security Forces and “unabated violation” of the ground rules of the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) by the Kuki extremists.

Of some 30 outfits belonging to the Kuki-Zomi group of tribes, 25 are bound by the SoO, requiring them to stay in designated camps and not move around with firearms. The Manipur government and Imphal Valley-based organisations have been accusing the Kuki-Zomi extremists of killing Meitei people.

The 15 organisations underlined the “breach of inter-community ties and peace” in Manipur and elsewhere in the northeast due to the involvement of “foreign (Myanmar-based) Chin-Kuki-Mizo mercenaries in inciting inter-ethnic violence” in the State.