COCOMI, IDPs reject Manipur Government's written reply to their memorandum, call it “vague and incomplete”

Dissatisfaction continues to mount among the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) after the Manipur government, under President’s Rule, issued a written response to their memorandum—an assurance made during a high-level meeting with the Governor earlier this week. The groups have termed the government’s reply “partial, vague, and inadequate,” warning that public agitation may intensify if key concerns remain unaddressed.

The written response, issued by the Home Department on January 13, followed a January 12 meeting involving representatives of IDPs, COCOMI, the Manipur Governor, and senior officials. During the meeting, the protesting groups had demanded a formal, written clarification on multiple memorandums submitted over the course of a month-long protest in December.

While the government’s response outlines broad measures related to housing and resettlement planning, phased rehabilitation, direct benefit transfers, security arrangements, and support mechanisms, COCOMI and IDPs say it falls short of addressing their core demands.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, COCOMI Convenor Khuraijam Athouba said that although the government had fulfilled its assurance of providing a written reply, the contents failed to inspire confidence among displaced families.

“The response speaks in general terms about resettlement efforts but completely avoids giving a detailed progress report on the resettlement process, which was one of our primary demands,” Athouba said.

He further criticised the absence of a clear timeline for rehabilitation. “The government claims it is making efforts, but there is no time-bound roadmap. Until when will displaced people continue to live in uncertainty? Such vague responses are deeply unfortunate,” he added.

Athouba also pointed out that during the January 12 meeting, the Governor had clarified that there is no buffer zone in Manipur. However, the written response failed to reflect this clarification. “We had specifically asked for a written statement on the buffer zone issue as well, but the government’s response is silent on this matter. We expect a clear and official statement soon,” he said.

Escalating his criticism, the COCOMI convenor alleged that while normalcy has largely returned to Imphal and peace initiatives are underway, incidents of violence continue in certain Kuki-dominated hill areas, with central forces allegedly failing to effectively contain them.

“There is no hostility in Imphal, and people can move freely without fear. Yet terror activities continue in some hill areas. Unfortunately, central forces have failed to control the situation,” Athouba alleged.

Taking aim at the Union government, he accused it of deliberately delaying the resolution of the Manipur crisis. “The Government of India is playing a proxy war in Manipur. Their policies appear to promote narco-terrorism instead of restoring lasting peace. It is high time people rise against this agenda,” he claimed.

Condemning what he described as continued neglect of Manipur’s humanitarian crisis, Athouba announced that a mass protest would be held on January 31 to press for concrete action and accountability.