GUWAHATI: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) rejected Centre’s peace meeting with Meitei and Kuki-Zo organisations in New Delhi on Saturday, calling it “symbolic gestures” to create a facade of resolution with no sincere or substantive steps to address the root causes of the ethnic crisis.
The Imphal valley-based conglomerate of civil society organisations viewed the “hastily-convened” meeting as yet another “tactical manoeuvre to fabricate an illusion of progress, conveniently timed to furnish talking points for the Home Minister’s parliamentary address.”
According to reports, six representatives from the Meitei community and nine from the Kuki-Zo community took part in the meeting organised by the Centre.
“COCOMI considers this stage-managed spectacle is nothing but a strategic ploy to validate the misleading narrative advanced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament, that the Manipur crisis is merely an ‘ethnic conflict’ between Meetei and Kuki communities, allegedly triggered by the High Court’s direction on Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Meeteis,” COCOMI said in a statement.
The organisation further stated that in its previous engagements with home ministry officials, it had made it explicitly clear that the people of Manipur regarded the central government “not as a neutral mediator but as an active party to this conflict.
”COCOMI alleged that Centre had not undertaken a single genuine measure to resolve the Manipur crisis and “persistently evaded responsibility, refused to confront the actual drivers of conflict, and continues to embolden separatist elements through false hopes and covert support.”
The organisation demanded that Centre enforce the rule of law across Manipur, ensuring safety and order, and neutralise all hostile elements in the hill areas. Further, it demanded that Centre hold accountable to those who openly defy peace initiatives, abrogate the ‘suspension of operations’ agreement and end the harbouring of foreign-origin armed mercenaries on Manipur soil.
It asked the union government to ensure unimpeded access to highways and vital roadways, prosecute individuals and groups defying the peace overtures of both the home minister and the Manipur Governor to restore public confidence in the President’s rule.