Skip to main content

PUCL to set up independent citizens panel to examine 'deep fissures' in Manipur society

Counterview Desk 
The well-known human rights group, People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), claiming to be deeply concerned over the state of continuing violence in Manipur ever since 3rd May, 2023, when the first incident of ethnic conflict broke out, has decided to set up an Independent Citizen’s Tribunal on Manipur in order to document the "violations" suffered by the people, and examine and analyse the performance and responsibilities of the constitutional authorities.
Likely to come up with an interim report in June, which would include recommendations to repair the torn social, cultural and political fabric of the state, and thereafter full report August, the tribunal would consist of eminent retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, civil servants, academics, journalists and member of civil society, says a PUCL statement.

Text:

PUCL has been deeply concerned over the state of continuing violence in Manipur ever since 3rd May, 2023, when the first incident of ethnic conflict broke out. The violence which soon thereafter engulfed Manipur, has continued unabated for the last 9 months.  The outbreak of violence has resulted in tremendous loss of life and seriously affected the everyday existence of people of Manipur. 
The reports of the unabated violence in Manipur shock human conscience. Apart from the steadily growing number of people killed (which has crossed over 200 people as of February, 2024), thousands remain displaced from their homes and fields, forced to seek shelter in relief camps where they have languished for many months, still hoping to return to their homes, hearths and fields. Livelihoods have been shattered, education of children and youth seriously impaired and health access remains a matter of serious concern. 
There have been numerous horrific incidents including mass killings, rapes, forcible displacement and ethnic cleansing in parts of Manipur. The effect of such ethnic violence is that there are no Kukis living in the Imphal valley just as there are no Meiteis in the hill areas today.  
What is perhaps most striking about the prolonged state-wide violence is the total breakdown of constitutional governance in Manipur state. Deep distrust and suspicion exists about governmental functionaries, both of the state and the Union governments. The Army has also been criticised by the contending groups, of not being neutral. 
The armoury of the security forces has been raided several times resulting in the theft of significant quantities of modern arms, weapons, ammunition and explosives which has reportedly been used in the ethnic conflict. Armed vigilante groups of the warring communities are alleged to freely move about without apprehension.  Despite nine months having passed, till today the situation of continuing violence persists, with peace seemingly a distant prospect.  
Keeping in mind the fact that constitutional governance has been all but impossible and that deep faults and fissures have opened up in the social and cultural fabric of Manipur, it was felt that an independent tribunal is required which can give a hearing to all sides, along with putting together a consolidated picture of what happened, capture the people’s suffering, ascertain the causes of the current constitutional breakdown as well as come up with recommendations to restore the rule of law and constitutional governance in Manipur.   
PUCL announces the constitution of an Independent Citizen’s Tribunal -- a panel consisting of eminent retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, civil servants, academics, journalists and member of civil society to visit all the affected areas of Manipur, speak to affected communities and relevant stakeholders as well as representatives of the state and central government and come out with an independent report.   
Considering the deep polarization and precarious situation prevailing in Manipur, such an independent citizen’s Tribunal will help restore a sense of confidence and trust in the constitutional order and institutions.
The objectives of the Tribunal will broadly cover the following: 
1)    Document the violations suffered by the people of Manipur with a specific attention to loss of life, sexual violence and violence suffered by children, women including pregnant women and the elderly.
2)    Examine and analyse the performance and responsibilities of the constitutional authorities   by documenting the action taken to prevent the violence, provide access to remedy and justice, investigate and prosecute crimes, and in all other ways to provide redressal of violations and make efforts to establish the rule of law.
3)    Examine the role of all security agencies as well as government functionaries at all levels of the state and central governments in ensuring law and order and also examine the role of independent national and state based institutions in protecting human rights.
4)    Examine existing documentation on the Manipur situation and analyse the reasons for the continuing violence
5)    Propose recommendations to repair the torn social, cultural and political fabric of the State
The Independent Citizen’s Tribunal will make efforts to visit Manipur and hold Tribunal hearings in various places so as to meet with and directly hear testimonies from various sections of Manipur society, especially the victims and those who have been displaced and are living in camps. The Tribunal will also reach out to various stakeholders including leaders of social organizations, women’s and youth groups, social influencers, media personnel, elected representatives and others, as also government officials and officials from the police and security agencies and independent institutions. 
Depending on local circumstances the Tribunal members will also hold virtual hearings. Additionally, hearings are also planned to be held in Delhi. 
The tentative schedule of the Tribunal will be as follows:
●     In-person visits and sittings of the Tribunal between mid-March and mid-May, 2024.
●     Interim report, if possible, in June, 2024.
●     The writing of the report till mid-July, 2024.
●     Final report sharing first week of August, 2024.
●     Public release of final report by mid-August, 2024.
The full details of the members of the Tribunal and the dates of the proposed visit and locations of public hearings will be announced later on.
-- Kavita Srivastava, President; V Suresh, General Secretary, PUCL

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative   The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...
2 comments
»

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative   The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.
Post a Comment
»

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.
Post a Comment
»

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”
Post a Comment
»

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative   A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey  visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification. 
Post a Comment
»

Subject to geological upheaval, the time to listen to the Himalayas has already passed

By Rajkumar Sinha*  The people of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, who have somehow survived the onslaught of reckless development so far, are crying out in despair that within the next ten to fifteen years their very existence will vanish. If one carefully follows the news coming from these two Himalayan states these days, this painful cry does not appear exaggerated. How did these prosperous and peaceful states reach such a tragic condition? What feats of our policymakers and politicians pushed these states to the brink of destruction?
Post a Comment
»

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.
Post a Comment
»

Rally in Patna: Non-farmer bodies to highlight plight of agriculture in Eastern India ahead of march to Parliament

P Sainath By  A  Representative Ahead of the march to Parliament on November 29-30, 2018, organized by over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country demanding a 21-day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers, a mass rally been organized for November 23, Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Say the organizers, the Eastern region merits special attention, because, while crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. To be addressed by P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a statement issued ahead of the rally says, the Eastern India was the most prosperous regi...
Post a Comment
»

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative   The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.
Post a Comment
»