Message from Harsh Mander shared by AK on whatsapp

We returned last night after four harrowing days of bearing witness in Manipur. Nothing had prepared me for what we saw. Manipur is fully a war zone, with sophisticated rifles, mortars, bombs, and massive mobilisation of ordinary civilians, in which the state does nothing to restore peace, ensure justice, protect civilians, or assist people in camps in which children already are displaying signs of malnourishment; but instead is often perceived to be taking sides in what threatens to grow into a civil war.
On both sides entire villages have been razed to ashes.
We spent many hours in seven relief camps on both sides of the “border”, met scores of community leaders from both communities (and even were caught once within a few hundred metres of raging cross-fire). The grief, the rage and above all the hate are boundless.
I searched desperately for signs of hope, of peace and healing in the immediate future. I could find this only in stories we heard in the camps of people of the “other” community who helped save lives.
I grieve for our people. I grieve for our beleaguered, broken land. I rage for the malign governments that we have installed.

whatsapp message by AK: Sharing with all members. Yesterday, 29th July, 2023, between 300 pm to 700 pm, we had a very meaningful virtual meeting with many Manipuri women leaders and citizens, drawn from all sections of Manipur society - Naga, Kuki, Meitei - as also experts from outside the state.

Over 170 people participate din the discussion which went on for nearly 4 hours. The discussion was very frank and pointed and all along was held cordially and in a sensitive manner respecting the sentiments of people. We have had several rounds of discussions earlier with various sets of specialists in conflict management, including Doctors who are providing critical health care in the state. All the various discussions led to the sharing of the following set of demands which was read out during the meeting and all agreed. Keeping in mind the sensitivities of the subject and the critical situation prevailing in the state, we did not record the event. We are sharing the set of demands which were presented. We intend to release it to the media by afternoon today.

This event was held as part of the PUCL Dialogue series we had decided to start during the Bengaluru Convention.

We request colleagues to suggest ideas and themes to have future Dialogue sessions. The plan is to have 2 Dialogue virtual sessions a month, one on an issue of immediate importance; and another on a general issue in which we get an expert or experts to share their work and have discussions. The first of the Dialogues was about the Civil Society's role in advancing human rights and democratic rights during the Karnataka elections.

One of the themes suggested was to hold a detailed and informed discussion on the issue of "Basic Structure of India's Constitution". The current Director of the National Law School of India, Dr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, whose doctoral work is on this theme had agreed to speak on this subject. Please suggest further themes to have future dialogues over

PUCL’s Demands regarding the Manipur crisis
Accountability
1. PUCL strongly condemns the use of sexual violence as an instrument of control, terror and/or
ethnic cleansing and gives a call to all groups in the conflict that has engulfed Manipur to
immediately stop attacks on women and children.
2. The PUCL demands that there must be an immediate stop to all forms of violence and gives a
call to all groups to immediately ceasefire and stop attacks and inflicting violence on the
lives, livelihoods and properties of different communities and adopt peaceful measures to
reconcile differences.
3. The PUCL demands that both the state and central government must fulfil their constitutional
responsibility to ensure that perpetrators involved in the murder, torture, beheadings, sexual
violence, violence against women and children must be arrested by following due process of
law.
4. The PUCL also points out that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has in the Tehseen Poonawala case
(2018) pointed out that it is the fundamental duty and responsibility of the State to immediately
stop and curb dissemination of hate speech which contain irresponsible and explosive messages
on various (social) media platforms which have the tendency to incite mob violence and killings
and demands that FIRs and other appropriate legal proceedings be launched against all those who
are indulging in hate speech in Manipur.
5. The State and Central government must both be held accountable for their absolute failure in
preventing the breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state of Manipur.
6. State and central govt must apply the law with respect to accountability, relief and
rehabilitation in a non-discriminatory manner and take concrete action to counter the
impression that till today the state administration is biased and discriminatory towards one
community.
7. All false cases filed by the state which seek to challenge the narrative of the state and protect
the constitutional right to seek information under article 19 (a) must be withdrawn.
Appeal to the Hon’ble Supreme Court
8. The PUCL appeals to the Supreme Court to appoint a Supreme Court monitored - Special
Investigation Team (SIT) drawn with police officials of proven integrity from outside the state,
to investigate all the significant criminal cases registered in the wake of the ethnic violence. The
names must include those suggested by civil society and fresh FIR’s must be lodged wherever
PUCL
necessary. At least three major alleged
incidents need to be investigated. The SIT should necessarily investigate:
A. 3rd May incident in Churachandpur
B. Sexual violence incidents reported across the state
C. Khamen Lok massacre
9. The PUCL also appeals to the Supreme Court to appoint a Women's Committee made up of
respected women’s jurists, academics, activists and others, whose names should include
suggestions by civil society, to visit Manipur and give an independent report directly to the
SC.
10. Considering the difficult nature of the terrain and the large number of victims who still live in
their thousands in IDP Camps, the PUCL requests the Supreme Court to appoint a Team of
Advocate Commissioners, based on suggestion by civil society, to visit all the camps and
record statements of victims.
10. The PUCL also appeals to the Supreme Court to appoint a Committee of Mental Health
Experts including Trained Counsellors, Psychiatric doctors, Trauma specialists and others to
give a report on the state of mental health and remedial measures to be undertaken on an
Emergency basis.
Humanitarian Relief
11. On an urgent basis, the Government of Manipur with the support of the Government of
India must provide nutritious food, clothing, safe shelter with proper drinking water and
sanitation to all those in need, not limited to the relief camps.
12. The State must prepare a comprehensive policy for relief and rehabilitation urgently. In
providing compensations, the policy should look at the loss of homes, loss of livelihood, loss
of possessions, trauma caused, loss of lives/limbs and a separate category of survivors of
sexual violence.
13. This policy must identify the needs of infants, children, lactating mothers, women who
have survived sexual violence/witnessed violence, persons who have witnessed/ survived
violence, senior citizens, individuals with chronic health concerns, individuals in need of
continuous medical treatment such as dialysis, blood pressure, arthritis.
14. Doctors, medicines and medical supplies are in short supply and the Court should direct
the authorities to ensure supply of adequate medical facilities on a war footing.
30.07.2023
Kavita Srivastava        Dr. V. Suresh
President, PUCL         General Secretary, PUCL