COCOMI Rejects PUCL Report on Manipur, Terms It Biased & Political

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), representing the people of Manipur, has strongly rejected the Independent People’s Tribunal (IPT) report released by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). In a press statement issued on Tuesday, COCOMI described the report as “biased, misleading, and politically engineered,” alleging that it vilifies the Meitei community while legitimising the “separatist aspirations of Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups.”

COCOMI’s Grounds for Rejection

COCOMI said the tribunal report was deliberately structured to appease separatist agendas through “bias, selective omission, and fabrication.” The organisation declared that it categorically rejects the report and demanded accountability from PUCL.

The statement listed several examples from the report, citing page numbers, which it claimed reveal its intent:

1. Page 19 – Meitei ST Status
   COCOMI argued that the tribunal wrongly claimed the Manipur High Court directed the State Government to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Meiteis. The former Chief Justice, it said, had clarified that the High Court had no such authority.

2. Page 20 – Outbreak of Violence
   The report alleged mobs attacked Kuki settlements in Imphal before retaliation followed in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. COCOMI countered this, saying verified photos and videos show the first violence occurred in Torbung-Kangvai, Churachandpur, where Meitei homes were torched. It added that retaliation in Imphal occurred only later, after the Vice President of India had left the city.

3. Page 22 – Depiction of Victimhood
   COCOMI criticised the framing that Kuki-Zo communities were driven out of the valley and Meiteis left the hills, arguing that Meiteis were the first to be attacked and displaced in Kanuvai.

4. Page 22 – Ethnic Partition
   The statement said the tribunal’s suggestion of “de facto ethnic partition” was a deliberate endorsement of separatist agendas.

5. Poppy Cultivation
   According to COCOMI, the tribunal wrongly generalised poppy cultivation as poverty-driven, overlooking the role of narco-terror groups, thereby “justifying an illicit business.”

6. Omission of Armed Kuki Groups
   The report, COCOMI noted, failed to mention armed Kuki-Chin groups despite their own leaders admitting involvement. It highlighted that the tribunal focused on Arambai Tengol and Meitei Leepun but ignored ITLF, COTU, Kuki Inpi, Kuki Students’ Organization, Kuki Women’s Association, and Kuki Zo Council.
   The statement added that incidents such as the Jiribam Jakuradhop massacre and the disappearances of Linthoingambi, Himanjit, and Kamal Babu were also misrepresented without naming Kuki militants.

7. Page 56 – “Unbridgeable Differences”
   COCOMI rejected the tribunal’s conclusion that ethnic differences are unbridgeable, pointing out that civilians from Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Paite-Hmar-Thadou groups are returning to Imphal, except those prevented by separatists.

8. Page 58 – Historical Claims
   The committee accused the tribunal of demonising Meiteis as anti-State while portraying Kukis as pro-Independence movement participants. It argued that Meiteis have produced high numbers of Indian Army officers, martyrs, and achievers in various fields.

9. Page 103 – ST Consultation Process
   COCOMI said the report misrepresented the constitutional process by suggesting that the State Government should consult stakeholders. It clarified that only Parliament, based on recommendations from the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, can grant ST status.

10. Page 287 – Distortion of Tribal Histories
    The statement alleged that the tribunal’s inclusion of Nagas under “tribals” to legitimise Kuki-Zo claims was a deliberate distortion.

Future Course of Action

COCOMI outlined three steps it intends to take:

1. Public Review – A detailed public review of the PUCL-IPT report will be organised to expose “misrepresentations, falsehoods, and omissions.”

2. Legal Accountability – The committee said PUCL and tribunal members will face legal action for defamatory statements against the Meitei community and for allegedly legitimising separatist aspirations.

3. Safeguarding National Integrity – COCOMI pledged to mobilise civil society, intellectuals, and legal experts to protect Manipur’s unity from “fabricated reports designed for international consumption and separatist propaganda.”

Conclusion

In its statement, COCOMI declared that the PUCL-IPT report “has no legitimacy and no credibility” and is rejected in its entirety by the people of Manipur. It accused the report of weakening national security and emboldening narco-terrorist groups.

“Manipur does not need propaganda masquerading as human rights. What it needs is truth, fairness, and collective resolve to restore peace, integrity, and unity,” COCOMI stated, while warning PUCL that siding with “Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups” would cost the organisation its credibility.

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