Twenty-nine civil society organisations have called upon the Governments of India and Manipur to abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), alleging repeated violations of the ground rules, involvement in violence and criminal activities, and atrocities by armed groups operating under the SoO framework.
The demand was made in a joint resolution issued on Monday, coinciding with the release of a booklet titled Kuki SoO Terror Trails – Evidential Files at a press conference in Imphal. The booklet, according to the organisations, compiles documented and official records of alleged violations of the SoO ground rules by armed groups operating under the framework.
The organisations alleged that the records include incidents of arson, attacks on security force camps, killings of law enforcement personnel, destruction of government and civilian property, murder, torture, extortion and intimidation, which they said had contributed to communal instability in the state.
They further claimed that the evidence compiled in the booklet includes arrests of SoO cadres by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Manipur Police, along with official communications from authorities regarding alleged violations of the ground rules.
According to the joint resolution, the SoO agreements require the authorities to take action against cadres found violating the prescribed ground rules. However, the organisations alleged that despite multiple instances of documented violations, the Governments of India and Manipur extended the agreements in September 2025 during President’s Rule in the state.
The organisations also referred to the Manipur Cabinet’s decision in March 2023 to withdraw from the agreement with the Kuki National Army and the Zomi Revolutionary Front, alleging that the subsequent extension of the SoO agreements had effectively bypassed that decision.
Speaking at the press conference, Yazing Vicisy Shimray, Convenor of the Core Committee on Relief and Rehabilitation, researcher Munindro Longjam and Kowarhing Anal of the Naga Peoples Union, Imphal, presented their views on the issue.
The joint resolution stated that lasting peace in Manipur would require decisive government action, accountability and restoration of the rule of law. It maintained that continuation of the SoO agreements under the prevailing circumstances could no longer be justified.
The organisations demanded decisive measures to restore security, justice and accountability, besides expeditious prosecution, in accordance with law, of SoO cadres allegedly involved in criminal activities.