An agglomeration of women’s civil society organisations representing the women of Manipur on Sunday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister N Biren and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the creation of a Peace Commission and a Judicial Commission.
A release issued by an agglomeration of women’s civil society organisations representing women from all sections and communities in the state of Manipur condemned the communal clashes in the state which have resulted in so many unnecessary deaths and casualties across the state.
It condemned the alleged failure and incompetence of the governance at all levels, demanding accountability to be fixed, punishment for the perpetrators (regardless of their community or political affiliation) and restoration of peace in the state.
The women of Manipur, united by a common goal of restoring trust and peace, asked the government to facilitate the formation of a Peace Commission recognised by the union and state government as well as a Judicial Commission to fix responsibility for the acts of violence in the state, it stated.
It demanded the formation of a Peace Commission recognised by the Union and state governments, comprising eight members with equal representation of women from all key impacted communities - Kuki and Meitei.
Also Read: Manipur Unrest: Believe it or not
The members will be conferred and nominated from the different CSOs and all resolutions and determinations of the Peace Commission will be by consensus among all members not by a majority vote, and there will be no chairperson or secretary, it mentioned.
The Union and state government shall each depute one senior woman IAS/IPS/MPS/defence officer as an observer/facilitator so that all logistics and other issues can be addressed and the government perspective and inputs can be provided as needed, it added.
It stated that two women observers/facilitators each from the Naga and Pangal communities are invited to account for their valued ideas and views in this process.
The Peace Commission will meet in Imphal and Churachandpur on a rotating basis and we request that the government provide the venue (with food and water), as well as security and transportation for each member,” it informed.
It maintained that the mandate of the Peace Commission will be: to identify and examine each of the issues that have caused the crisis and to devise solutions that seek to resolve these matters in a fair manner ensuring enduring justice; to support justice for all victims of the violence and make sure that their testimonies are recorded and preserved, especially in cases where this has been overlooked by the state or judicial authorities; to enable the restoration of trust at the local level across the state both in the hill and valley areas, to allow the displaced persons to feel safe and secure to return to their place of residence or work.
The conglomerate of women’s CSOs also demanded the creation of a Judicial Commission to fix responsibility for the violence in Manipur in the last few weeks; to look into the acts and omissions of the union and state government authorities that allowed this situation to develop; and recommend suitable action against the identified officials.
“The Judicial Commission should be led by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court nominated by the chief justice of India at the request of the union and state government and should comprise of at least two other members, also nominated by the chief justice of India, who have experience in the field of law, human rights, investigation and/or prosecution. None of the members of the Judicial Commission should belong to the Kuki or Meitei community,” it added.
Also Read: Manipur Unrest: CM Biren declares ‘joint operations’
