The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has demanded the immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Kuki National Army (KNA) and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), alleging serious violations of the pact’s ground rules following a security operation at Shamushang Camp, also known as Sinai Camp.
In a strongly worded press statement, Phijam Shyamchand, convenor of COCOMI’s Information and Public Relations Sub-Committee, questioned the effectiveness of the mechanisms responsible for monitoring SoO-designated camps and enforcing the agreement’s terms. He warned that the developments could deepen public suspicion that armed groups operating under the SoO arrangement were being used as proxy forces by the Government of India.
The demand follows the October 19 firing incident in which three people were reportedly killed and several others injured in an attack on Meetei civilians by armed Kuki groups, according to COCOMI. Security forces subsequently launched an operation at Shamushang (Sinai) Camp, bringing the activities and composition of the groups associated with the camp under renewed scrutiny.
According to COCOMI, security personnel apprehended 18 individuals during the operation. The committee further claimed that 66 cadres of the KNA and 93 cadres of the KLA, both associated with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), were found at the camp. It alleged that only one of the 18 individuals apprehended was a regular cadre, while the remaining 17 were non-cadres. A large quantity of sophisticated weapons was also reportedly seized.
COCOMI questioned how such a situation could arise at a designated SoO camp and whether the prescribed restrictions on the movement, activities and possession of weapons by cadres were being effectively enforced. It said the findings had raised serious concerns over compliance with the agreement’s ground rules and the monitoring mechanism responsible for ensuring that armed groups adhere to their commitments.
The committee also highlighted the camp’s location, approximately 60 kilometres east of Kangpokpi district headquarters, and expressed concern over the security implications of the alleged activities of the armed groups in the Khamenlok area.
COCOMI has urged the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) to take immediate action against the KNA and KLA over the alleged violations. It demanded the abrogation of the SoO agreement with both groups and called on the state government to declare them unlawful organisations within a specified timeframe.
The committee also demanded comprehensive search operations and inspections at all designated SoO camps to establish whether the groups operating from these facilities were complying with the agreement and its ground rules.
Questioning the Centre’s management of the SoO arrangement, COCOMI referred to measures reportedly announced by the Government of India in September to reduce the number of designated camps from 14 to seven. It also cited assurances that the camps would be relocated away from areas inhabited by indigenous communities, national highways and critical state infrastructure.
COCOMI alleged that the commitments had not been effectively implemented and argued that the developments at Shamushang Camp had further undermined confidence in the government’s assurances.
The committee has called on the Centre to make public a comprehensive report detailing the number of SoO-designated camps currently operational and the actual strength of the armed groups covered by the agreement.
It maintained that transparency was essential to establish whether the arrangement was being implemented in accordance with its stated objectives.
COCOMI further alleged that the Government of India had spent approximately Rs 15 crore annually over the past 18 years in support of Kuki armed groups operating under the SoO arrangement, putting the cumulative amount at nearly Rs 280 crore.
The committee questioned the rationale for continuing the arrangement in the face of alleged violations and persistent violence. It accused the armed groups of functioning as proxy forces and alleged that their activities had contributed to insecurity in the hill areas of Manipur.
COCOMI also alleged that armed group attacks had affected Naga and Meetei communities in different parts of the state since May 2023, arguing that the continued violence warranted a comprehensive reassessment of the Centre’s approach towards the groups covered by the agreement.
The committee’s statement has placed renewed focus on the implementation of the SoO ground rules, the accountability of designated armed groups and the effectiveness of the Joint Monitoring Group in overseeing their activities.
Reiterating its demands, COCOMI called for the immediate abrogation of the SoO agreement with the KNA and KLA, strict enforcement of the ground rules and thorough inspections of every designated camp.
