Welcome and Inaugural Keynote Address

09:00 - 09:45 AM: Race, Ethnicity and Identity: Community Security, Land Concerns and Shared Belonging in Manipur

Context
Manipur’s present situation reflects deep concerns around identity, land, representation, mobility, safety and community confidence. For the Meitei, Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Naga and other communities, land is closely tied to ancestry, livelihood, security and cultural dignity. This session will examine how ethnicity, demographic concerns and competing ideas of belonging shape Manipur’s security environment. It will focus on addressing community fears, reducing mistrust and collective blame, and identifying institutional pathways for dialogue, lawful protection, inclusive governance and shared civic confidence.

Guiding Questions

• How have land, ancestry, tribal status, demographic concerns and competing ideas of belonging shaped insecurity among Manipur’s communities?

• How can legitimate concerns relating to safety, representation, mobility and livelihood be addressed without deepening collective blame, ethnic polarisation or permanent separation?

• What practical role can civil administration, police, security forces, local leaders and community organisations play in protecting constitutional order and rebuilding confidence across ethnic lines?

Speaker

• Lt Gen (Retd) Shokin Chauhan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM
  Former Director General, The Assam Rifles 

10:00 - 10:45 AM: State of Manipur: Restoring Security, Public Confidence and Civic Stability

Context
Manipur is facing a complex internal security environment shaped by ethnic tensions, displacement, illegal arms, cross-border narcotics, insurgent legacies, land-related anxieties, criminal networks, misinformation, and the spillover effects of instability in Myanmar. The situation requires a multidimensional response that goes beyond conventional law-and-order management.

This opening session will examine Manipur as an important case for coordinated security, policing, civil administration, border management, community engagement and justice delivery. The focus will be on how institutions can strengthen lawful authority, protect citizens, recover illegal arms, disrupt criminal networks, reduce violence, and rebuild confidence across communities. The session will also explore how operational responses can be made more effective, neutral, humane and sustainable in India’s eastern frontier.

Guiding Questions

• What makes Manipur’s present security environment more complex than a routine law-and-order challenge?

• Which risks require immediate calibrated containment, such as illegal arms, armed mobilisation, organised crime, narcotics networks, misinformation and cross-border movement?

• Which issues require long-term institutional, political and social confidence-building, including displacement, community insecurity, land concerns and restoration of civic trust?

• How can police, security forces, intelligence agencies, civil administration and local communities work together to restore lawful authority without appearing partisan or punitive toward any community?

• How should success in Manipur be assessed: reduction of violence, recovery of illegal arms, disruption of criminal networks, return of displaced persons, restoration of mobility, or revival of shared civic life?

Speaker

• TBD
  Nomination from Ministry of Home Affairs / Security Establishment / Former Director General, The Assam Rifles

11:00 - 11:45 AM: War on Drugs, Narco‑Economy and Strengthening State Response in Manipur

Context
Manipur’s experience with the “War on Drugs”, forest and land protection, refugee management and insurgent ceasefire arrangements (SoO) highlights how complex security, governance and social challenges interact in a sensitive border state. Operations against poppy cultivation, cross‑border trafficking and illegal arms have had to run in parallel with management of ethnic relations, land tenure concerns and humanitarian pressures from neighbouring Myanmar, often under AFSPA or similar special‑powers frameworks.

These overlapping pressures have produced difficult trade‑offs for policymakers, security forces and civil administration. At the same time, they offer valuable lessons on how future standard operating procedures, inter‑agency coordination and communication with communities can be further strengthened—so that legitimate enforcement against narcotics and armed violence also supports long‑term public trust, inclusion and stability. This session will take a forward‑looking approach, focusing on practical ways to refine policy design and on‑ground SOPs, rather than apportioning blame.

Guiding questions

• How can lessons from Manipur’s War on Drugs, forest/land protection, refugee and SoO experiences be used to better design and sequence security‑related programmes in ethnically diverse, borderland contexts?

• In what ways can implementing agencies—police, civil administration and central forces—further adapt their SOPs and communication strategies so that firm action against narco‑trafficking and illegal arms is clearly distinguished from the everyday lives and identities of law‑abiding communities?

• What are some constructive models for improving investigation, prosecution and victim‑support processes, building on existing legal frameworks and court directions, so that confidence in justice delivery is enhanced across all groups?

• How can inter‑agency coordination (state police, CAPFs, Assam Rifles, NCB, district administration) be further institutionalised—through joint planning, shared data, and clear roles—to manage future crises more smoothly?

• Looking ahead, what practical steps in training, community‑engagement and oversight can help security institutions and civil authorities together strengthen the state’s legitimate authority while also deepening public trust?

Speaker

• Lt Gen K Himalay Singh
  Former GOC, XVI Corps, Indian Army

13:00 - 13:45 PM: Globalisation and Organised Crime- Narcotics, Arms, Illicit Finance and Cross-Border Networks

Context
Manipur’s geographical location near Myanmar and the wider Golden Triangle region places it in a sensitive borderland environment where transnational criminal networks attempt to exploit terrain, informal movement, weak economic opportunities, instability and existing transport routes. Narcotics, synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals, illegal arms, illicit finance and facilitation chains have created a serious internal security challenge that affects both state authority and community safety.

This session will focus on the organised-crime dimension of Manipur’s security environment. The emphasis will be on understanding how illicit markets operate, how they use logistics and informal networks, how money and materials move across borders, and how enforcement agencies can strengthen intelligence-led, inter-agency and evidence-based responses. The discussion will move beyond seizures alone and examine how financiers, supply chains, transport links, storage points, illegal arms channels and local facilitation networks can be identified, disrupted and prosecuted within the rule of law.

Guiding Questions

• How do narcotics, synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals, illegal arms and illicit finance move through borderland routes and informal economies in and around Manipur?

• What organised-crime dynamics help explain these networks, including profit incentives, logistics, local facilitation, intimidation, laundering and exploitation of instability?

• How can enforcement responses move from individual seizures to a wider disruption of financiers, transport chains, storage networks, procurement channels and cross-border linkages?

• What role can coordinated intelligence, financial investigation, forensic evidence, border management and community information play in weakening organised criminal networks?

• How can agencies strengthen deterrence while ensuring that enforcement remains precise, lawful, community-sensitive and free from any perception of collective targeting?

Speaker

• TBD
  Nomination from Narcotics Control Bureau / Directorate of Revenue Intelligence / Manipur Police / Assam Rifles

14:00 - 14:45 PM: Ensuring Lawful Authority: Security, Trust and Institutional Confidence in Manipur

Context
The primary responsibility of the State is to protect citizens, preserve public order and uphold the law. In Manipur, this responsibility has become increasingly complex due to insurgent activity, armed ethnic formations, illegal weapons, criminal networks, mob mobilisation, misinformation and inter-community mistrust.

Security laws, policing measures and the deployment of armed forces have played an important role in responding to serious threats. At the same time, prolonged conflict conditions can shape how citizens experience security in everyday life. For many communities, security is understood not only as protection from violence and insurgency, but also as fairness, dignity, lawful procedure, accountability and confidence in institutions.

This session will focus on strengthening state authority through lawful, precise and confidence-building security responses. The discussion will examine how police, security forces, intelligence agencies, civil administration and justice institutions can work together to restore order, recover illegal arms, protect vulnerable citizens, improve SOPs, support investigations and rebuild public trust without creating perceptions of bias or collective punishment.

Guiding Questions

• How can security law, policing and civil administration work together to restore lawful authority and public order in Manipur?

• How have prolonged conflict conditions shaped civilian expectations of security, dignity, procedural fairness and institutional accountability?

• What operational and institutional reforms can strengthen trust in police, security forces, investigation, prosecution and justice delivery?

• How can illegal arms be recovered and armed mobilisation be contained through precise, lawful and intelligence-led action?

• How can the State restore the monopoly of legitimate force without appearing partisan, punitive or insensitive toward any community?

• What SOP improvements can help balance operational effectiveness, civilian protection, human rights safeguards and long-term public confidence?

Speaker

• TBD
  Nomination from Former Army / Assam Rifles / Judiciary / Human Rights and Security Law Expert

15:00 - 15:45 PM: Social Cohesion and Integration- Displacement, Youth Protection and Community Repair

Context
The recent violence in Manipur has affected residential security, education, livelihoods, public institutions, inter-community relations and the emotional well-being of families. Displacement has disrupted schooling, employment, family stability, women’s safety, access to health services and everyday trust between communities. Young people remain particularly vulnerable to trauma, substance abuse, misinformation, revenge narratives, criminal exploitation and recruitment by unlawful networks.

This session will focus on the social recovery dimension of Manipur’s internal security environment. The emphasis will be on rehabilitation, continuity of education, livelihood restoration, trauma care, de-addiction, youth protection, women-led peacebuilding and the rebuilding of everyday civic confidence. The discussion will also examine how community organisations, including women-led groups, youth groups, traditional bodies, civil society platforms and local volunteers, can be constructively engaged in lawful anti-drug work, relief coordination, counselling, community dialogue and social healing.

The session will approach community mobilisation as a potential force for stabilisation when aligned with law, institutional coordination and inclusive peacebuilding. It will also explore how the State, police, security forces, civil administration, educational institutions and civil society can work together to protect vulnerable families, prevent renewed mobilisation and support the safe return or dignified rehabilitation of displaced persons.

Guiding Questions

• How has displacement affected youth, women, children, education, livelihoods, family stability and inter-community relations in Manipur?

• What practical support systems are required for displaced families, including schooling, documentation, healthcare, trauma care, livelihood recovery, de-addiction and safe return?

• How can civil society bodies and youth groups be constructively oriented toward lawful anti-drug work, youth protection, relief support and social healing?

• What role can schools, colleges, churches, temples, community institutions and local leadership play in rebuilding everyday trust and reducing fear? How can police, civil administration, security forces and community representatives create safe channels for grievance reporting, early warning, counselling and local conflict prevention?

• What rehabilitation and reintegration measures are needed to prevent displaced settlements, relief camps or vulnerable youth spaces from becoming sites of exploitation, substance abuse or renewed mobilisation?

• How should Manipur define social recovery: safe return, restored education, livelihood stability, de-addiction, reduced fear, inter-community dialogue or revival of shared civic life?

Speakers

• Mr. Kabithui Rongmei
  Co-Founder, Khaangchu 

16:00 - 16:45 PM: Towards Peace in Manipur - Free Movement Regime (FMR), Comprehensive Security Framework, and NCORD

Context
The closing roundtable will consolidate the day’s discussions into a practical peace and security framework for Manipur. The objective is to connect the major themes of the dialogue — community security, organised crime, terrorism prevention, lawful state authority, social recovery and shared civic coexistence — into a coordinated roadmap for stabilisation.

The session will focus on identifying immediate priorities, medium-term coordination mechanisms and long-term institutional reforms. It will examine how Manipur can move from crisis response toward a structured peace and security approach that combines lawful enforcement, border management, anti-narcotics coordination, rehabilitation, justice delivery, community confidence-building and economic recovery.

Special attention will be given to the Free Movement Regime, smart border management, regulated crossings, biometric and documentation systems, humanitarian screening, legal trade corridors and community consultation. The session will also examine how NCORD can be strengthened as an intelligence-led coordination platform for targeting narcotics supply chains, precursor movement, financiers, logistics nodes, arms-drug linkages and organised criminal facilitation networks.

The discussion will aim to produce practical, measurable and institutionally acceptable recommendations that support peace, protect citizens, strengthen lawful authority and reduce the space available for insurgent, criminal and destabilising networks.

Guiding Questions

• What are the three most urgent actions required in the next six months to stabilise Manipur, restore public confidence and reduce the space for armed or criminal networks?

• What institutional mechanism can best coordinate security operations, anti-narcotics enforcement, rehabilitation, justice delivery, border management and community dialogue?

• How should the Free Movement Regime and smart border management be shaped to balance national security, regulated mobility, humanitarian concerns, legal trade and consultation with border communities?

• How can NCORD be strengthened as an intelligence-led coordination platform to disrupt financiers, logistics nodes, precursor chains, arms-drug linkages and organised criminal facilitation networks?

Speakers

• TBD
  Nomination from Ministry of Home Affairs / Manipur Police / Assam Rifles / Judiciary / Peacebuilding Expert