Subject: Urgent Appeal for the Transfer of Kuki Myanmar National Detainees to Kuki-Dominated Districts of Manipur and Release of Two Detainees Held Beyond Sentence Period-Regd.
Hon’ble Sir,
We write this representation with utmost urgency and deep concern on behalf of Kuki detainees who are Myanmar nationals, presently incarcerated in Imphal Central Jail, Manipur. The issue at hand pertains not only to custodial logistics but touches upon the fundamental principles of justice, equality, and humane treatment that underpin our constitutional democracy and the international human rights framework to which India is a signatory.
As Your Excellency is aware, the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur had issued notifications for the transfer of Kuki undertrial inmates from Imphal and other sensitive zones to temporary prisons in Kuki-dominated districts such as Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal. This was done in recognition of both the logistical necessities (such as appropriate food, language access, legal aid, and cultural familiarity) and the prevailing ethnic sensitivities in Manipur.
While a significant number of Kuki undertrials (Indian citizens) have been transferred pursuant to this notification, a group of over 64 Kuki detainees, who are nationals of Myanmar, remain detained in Imphal, left out of the transfer process. Though they hold foreign nationality, these individuals are ethnically, culturally, and linguistically indistinguishable from the Kuki population in Manipur, and many have familial and ancestral ties in the region.
Given the ongoing communal unrest and the fraught security environment in Imphal, it is unsafe and discriminatory to isolate this group on the basis of their nationality while ignoring their shared ethnic identity. The refusal or delay in transferring these detainees to Kuki-majority districts amounts to differential treatment that violates the principle of equal protection of the law and exposes them to potential threats and trauma in a hostile custodial setting.
Of even more grave concern is the fact that two individuals among this group have already completed the full term of their jail sentence, yet continue to be detained unlawfully. Their continued incarceration without any legal basis constitutes arbitrary detention, a serious violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. It also breaches international human rights standards, including those enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which India is a party.
It is in this background that we urgently and respectfully seek your intervention to:
1. Direct the Government of Manipur to immediately release the two Kuki Myanmar national detainees who have served their full jail terms, and ensure compensation or remedial action for the unlawful extension of their detention;
2. Ensure the immediate transfer of the remaining undertrial Kuki Myanmar national detainees to temporary prisons in Kuki-dominated districts, in keeping with the policy already applied to Indian Kuki undertrials, and in line with humanitarian principles and public safety considerations;
3. Initiate necessary inquiries to prevent recurrence of such discriminatory treatment and ensure that detention practices comply with both constitutional mandates and international human rights obligations.
We appeal to your esteemed Commission to take urgent cognisance of this matter and uphold the rights and dignity of these vulnerable individuals.
Yours sincerely,
H.S BENJAMIN MATE
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