Letter to the President of India from Concerned Citizens of North-East India

To,
Smt. Draupadi Murmu,
The Honourable President of India,
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi
India.

We, concerned women leaders, human rights activists, peace builders, journalists, community leaders and concerned citizens from North East India are totally outraged and unequivocally condemn the recent dastardly and vicious attack based on trumped up allegations against Babloo Loitongbam [1] a highly respected, renowned and credible human rights defender from the state of Manipur.

Honourable Madam, we submit this memorandum urging you for your immediate and urgent intervention and decisive action on the alarming situation in Manipur where unchecked extremism and violent vigilantism has increased exponentially and operates with blatant impunity under the very nose of the Biren Singh government. An atmosphere of fear grips the citizens of the state who are already reeling under the impact of the 17 months long conflict to which the double engine government at the State and Centre seem to have no control or solution. Many of these citizens have experienced unprecedented violence and mayhem at very close quarters and cannot be subjected to more. The State is duty bound to ensure that.

On the morning of September 23, 2024, a mob of some 50 young men arrived at the residence of Babloo Loitongbam and threatened his family with dire consequences if Babloo is seen in the public domain. This threat was preceded by a press conference held the previous day by members of the Meitei Leepun (ML) levelling false charges against Babloo and warning people against working with him. Earlier too, this group and others have both threatened and vandalised Babloo