Naga peace talks: Manipur groups extend protest for another day, CM asks people to remain calm

They have been urging the central government to consult the civil bodies of the state as one of the stakeholders before finalising the peace talks and not to harm the state by the peace agreement.

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Singh clarified that the reports published in local dailies on the creation of greater Nagaland and a separate flag for the Nagas are not based on any official statement of the central government. (Photo: File)

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), who organised a mass protest in the state on Thursday to oppose any outcome of the Indo-Naga peace talks that could harm Manipur’s integrity, has extended their agitation for another day.

The announcement was made just after the 22-years-old peace talks that concluded in New Delhi this evening.

COCOMI is an umbrella organisation of several civil society organisations in Manipur formed to spearhead the protest against any anti-Manipur outcome from the Indo-Naga peace talks. The body has been urging the central government to consult the civil bodies of the state as one of the stakeholders before finalising the peace talks and not to harm the state by the peace agreement.

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On Thursday, normal life in the state, particularly in Imphal valley, was affected due to the mass protest by COCOMI. Different communities residing in the state came out on the streets to protest in support of COCOMI’s demand. They blocked roads and staged sit-in demonstrations at various places shouting slogans against anti-Manipur policy. Educational institutions and business establishments remained closed during the protest and transport services remained suspended.

The protest was supposed to end on Thursday midnight. However, as the central government is yet to announce the decisions taken in the final round of the talks with the NSCN-IM today, the group decided to extend their protest till 6 pm on Friday.

Sunil Karam, coordinator COCOMI, said, “As we are not aware of the details of what the GoI and NSCN-IM have agreed upon, we have decided to extend our protest till tomorrow evening.”

Karam felt that the agreement will not be in favour of Manipur citing heavy deployment of security forces in the state. “Chief Minister N Biren Singh has conveyed an assurance given by Home Minister Amit Shah that all the stakeholders will be consulted before signing a final agreement of the Indo-Naga talks. However, we have witnessed a huge deployment of security forces in the state which clearly indicates that the deal will not be favourable for Manipur,” he said.

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He urged the Government of India to remove content, if any, that could harm the interests of Manipur before signing the final agreement with NSCN-IM.

The COCOMI coordinator added that the group will continue their agitation in various other forms until a written assurance is issued by the Prime Minister’s Office or the Union Home Minister that Manipur’s territorial integrity will not be harmed.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has appealed to the people to remain calm. A video uploaded by the Chief Minister on his facebook page reiterated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has categorically mentioned that the Centre will not draw a conclusion to the Naga peace talks without consulting all the stakeholders.

Singh clarified that the reports published in local dailies on the creation of greater Nagaland and a separate flag for the Nagas are not based on any official statement of the central government.