New Delhi, June 30, 2025: A 19-member delegation representing key Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Manipur, including COCOMI, AMUCO, and FOCS, met with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the national capital today to discuss the ongoing crisis in the state and explore pathways to peace.
The high-level meeting, which lasted over three and a half hours, was attended by senior MHA officials including A.K. Mishra (Advisor, Northeast), Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau Rajesh Kamble, and others. The delegation, comprising seven representatives each from AMUCO and COCOMI, and five from FOCS, presented a united front on several core issues affecting Manipur.
At the forefront of the discussions was the delegation’s unwavering position on preserving Manipur’s territorial integrity. The CSOs firmly opposed any move that could compromise the state's boundaries. They also stressed the urgent need for unrestricted movement for all citizens - highlighting it as a constitutional right - and called for the phased, time-bound resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the end of the year.
Another major point of concern raised was illegal immigration. The delegation advocated for the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) or a similar mechanism to detect and address the issue. The CSOs also rejected any unilateral extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements without a broad-based and inclusive consensus among all stakeholders.
In addition, the delegation submitted memorandums on:
• The pending inquiry report on the Gwaltabi incident;
• The need for robust measures to protect farmers’ security; and
• The construction of a 343 km illegal road along the Churachandpur–Kangpokpi axis, which they urged the MHA to investigate.
The CSOs also emphasized that future rounds of dialogue should be held in Imphal to ensure greater accessibility and local participation. They reiterated their readiness to engage in multi-stakeholder peace talks, provided such discussions genuinely aim to restore peace and safeguard the interests of all communities.
MHA officials assured the delegation that the matters raised would be taken seriously and forwarded to the relevant authorities for further action.
The CSO delegation is expected to return to Imphal on July 2, where they plan to brief the media and the public on the outcomes of the meeting and the way forward.
