Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has ordered a 24-hour shutdown of National Highway-2, the Imphal-Dimapur Road, starting 5 am on September 1 and ending 5 am on September 2. The move follows a violent raid on Teikhang village along the IT Road Monday morning. Approximately 50 armed men stormed the village at 8 am, torching homes and firing on residents. Three people died: Tingneichin Lhoujum, 40, Hoineng Lhoujem, 21, and Lamthinthang Lhoujem, 36. Four others, identified as Nemneichong Lhoujem, 50, Seilun Lhoujem, 70, Deilhing Haokip, 55, and Kamtinsei Chongloi, 38, remain in critical condition. Schools, hospitals, banks, fire stations, and utility departments are exempt from the blockade.
CoTU accuses the NSCN-IM and ZUF of orchestrating the massacre. This bloodshed marks a sharp escalation in a region already scarred by prior violence, including the deaths of four Naga civilians in an August 27 ambush and the killing of two Liangmai Naga individuals at Langka village on August 14. Thousands of protesters marched from Nute Kailhang to the ADC office on August 31 to demand government action. During the protest, the group submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
The memorandum demands the immediate removal of checkpoints at Thonglang, Chawangkaning, and Taphou Naga, which the group claims have stifled the movement of food and medicine to Kuki-Zo areas since mid-May 2026. Protesters also called for the full activation of police stations in Chalwa, Leimakhong, and Kangchup. They specifically requested guaranteed safe passage for ambulances to the Tujang Vaichong Primary Health Centre and the deployment of central forces in vulnerable areas like Chalwa, S. Songpibung, and Thenjang.
CoTU spokesperson Ng Lun Kipgen said, "If the government wants and is sincere enough to resolve this issue, I think the first step is to open the unconstitutional blockade being carried out by a section of the Liangmei Naga community and deploy Central Security Forces in the fringe areas bordering the warring communities." The group further demanded an end to jurisdictional overreach by Senapati district police within the Kangpokpi revenue territory, specifically mentioning Taphou Kuki and Hengbung villages.
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