People participate in a candlelight vigil at the Manipur Baptist Convention (MBC) to honour six Laingmai Naga civilians who were abducted, held hostage since May and later found killed, in Imphal on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (IANS File Photo)
New Delhi, June 26 (MExN): A group of 112 citizens, academics, activists, faith leaders, writers, journalists, trade unionists and civil society organisations on June 26 issued a joint appeal urging all communities in Manipur to “step back from the edge” and prevent the ethnic conflict from widening into a larger confrontation involving multiple communities.
The appeal, titled “Step Back from the Edge: A Citizens' Appeal for Peace, Justice and Sisterhood in Manipur”, was released on the 51st Commemoration Day of India’s Political Emergency and expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the state, where violence that began in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities has recently seen tensions involving Naga and Kuki groups.
The signatories said Manipur has endured more than three years of violence, displacement, militarisation, fear and social division, citing reports of abductions, killings, retaliatory mobilisation, shutdowns, forced displacement and deepening mistrust.
They mourned those killed from Kuki-Zo, Meitei, Naga and other communities, acknowledging the displacement and insecurity faced by Kuki-Zo people, the grief among Nagas over abductions and killings, including church-linked persons, and the losses suffered by Meitei families. They also expressed concern for women, children, workers, the elderly and smaller communities caught in the conflict.
The appeal strongly condemned the abduction and killing of civilians, saying hostages and detainees must not be used as bargaining tools and should be released unconditionally. It also welcomed the recent release of 14 Kuki detainees from Naga custody, describing it as an important gesture that demonstrated the possibility of restraint and reconciliation.
Warning against the conflict being reframed into wider ethnic and religious divisions, the signatories said unresolved issues relating to constitutional protections, land rights, state accountability, minority security and democratic governance risked being overshadowed.
The appeal said the violence could undermine decades of peace initiatives in the Northeast, including the Indo-Naga peace process that began with the 1997 ceasefire, and urged the Centre to preserve public faith in negotiated political settlements.
The signatories called on all armed groups and village defence formations to immediately stop attacks on civilians, release all civilian detainees and hostages, disclose the whereabouts of missing persons, halt hate propaganda, respect places of worship and allow humanitarian access. They also appealed to women's organisations to once again play a leading role in peacebuilding.
The appeal demanded that the Union and Manipur governments protect lives without discrimination, prevent armed mobilisation, recover looted and illegal weapons, investigate all killings and restore public confidence.
It further sought an impartial, credible and time-bound peace process involving Kuki-Zo, Meitei, Naga, Pangal, Mising, Hmar and other affected communities, with participation from women, church bodies, tribal institutions, student organisations, human rights groups, displaced persons and independent mediators.
The signatories also called for a judicially monitored probe into all major incidents of violence since May 2023, including killings, sexual violence, arson, destruction of places of worship, enforced disappearances, custodial abuse and the role of armed groups, security forces and political actors.
The appeal sought urgent tracing of missing persons, dignified return of mortal remains, witness protection, psychosocial support for survivors, compensation based on need rather than ethnicity, safe humanitarian corridors, restoration of education, rebuilding of homes and protection of displaced persons without forcing their return.
It also urged religious institutions, women's groups, students, trade unions, teachers, artists, journalists and civil society organisations to create local peace initiatives and appealed to the media and social media users to refrain from circulating unverified or inflammatory content.
The statement concluded that “the lives of Kuki-Zo people matter, the lives of Naga people matter, the lives of Meitei people matter,” and urged every community to reject “the script of mutual destruction”, while calling on the people of India not to ignore Manipur's crisis.
The appeal was facilitated by the South Asian Solidarity Collective, Friends of the Earth (India) and the Delhi Solidarity Group.
The 112 signatories include researcher Aashima Subberwal (The Research Collective); economist Amit Bhaduri; filmmaker Anand Patwardhan; CPI leader and women's rights activist Annie Raja; academic Apoorvanand; activist Arundhati Dhuru; filmmaker Asha A Joseph; Avinash Kumar, Co-Convenor, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan; Prof Badri Raina; C R Neelakandan, National Coordinator, NAPM Kerala; Prof Denzil Fernandes SJ; activist Harsh Mander; journalist John Dayal; poet K Sachidanandan; Krishnakanth Chauhan, Convenor, Friends of the Earth-India; Lalita Ramdas; journalist Latha Jishnu; Prof Manoranjan Mahanty; Prof Nandini Sundar; Prof Navdeep Mathur; journalist Pamela Philipose; author Peggy Mohan; Prafulla Samantara, Convenor, Friends of the Earth India, Odisha and Goldman Environmental Prize recipient; Prasad Chacko, National Secretary, PUCL; Radha Kumar; Ruth Manorama; writer Sara Joseph; Sarath Cheloor, National Coordinator, Friends of the Earth-India; actor-filmmaker Suhasini Mulay; Dr Syeda Hameed; historian Uma Chakravarti; former civil servant V Venugopal; Vijayan M J, Founding Member, Friends of the Earth International and Convener, South Asian Solidarity Collective; Dr Vikas Bajpai of Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Dr Walter Fernandes, Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre, among other academics, activists, writers, trade unionists, researchers, environmentalists and rights defenders from across the country.
.jpg)
