Imphal: Coordinated mass rallies and sit-in protests erupted across the Naga-inhabited districts of Manipur on Saturday as demonstrators demanded the immediate termination of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups and the swift enforcement of the September 26 Guwahati tripartite agreement.
The widespread public demonstrations were spearheaded by major tribal coalitions, including the United Naga Council (UNC), the Joint Tribes Council of Manipur (JTCM), and the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation (CNPO). The apex bodies formally escalated their grievances by submitting a comprehensive memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the deputy commissioner of Senapati district, seeking direct federal intervention to put a stop to the ongoing regional conflict.
In Tamenglong headquarters, hundreds of people representing the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Zeme communities marched under the JTCM banner from the Apollo Ground to Haipou Jadonang Park. The demonstrators held placards demanding the fulfillment of the Guwahati agreement commitments, the revocation of the SoO pact, and the immediate withdrawal of the Assam Rifles from border areas and active conflict zones.
Simultaneously, a parallel mass demonstration organised by the CNPO drew participation from 11 tribal groups at Chandel Main Stadium. The rally endorsed the positions of the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), presenting a five-point charter of demands that called for an end to civilian killings and an immediate halt to what the organisers described as proxy warfare against indigenous communities.
Addressing reporters during the demonstration, CNPO President Dilbung Francis Thandok stated that the current security and political climate in Manipur had become entirely untenable. The tribal leader emphasized that the synchronized rallies were intentionally held to force government intervention, compel executive accountability, and establish a time-bound framework to restore permanent normalcy and peace in the state.