Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Manipur CRPF 152 Battalion road opening party Thursday evening. The shooting happened at 5:30 PM in the Khonghampat area of Imphal West. Assailants fired from a moving white four-wheeler heading toward Sekmai before they escaped. No security personnel suffered injuries. Sekmai police have cordoned off the area and opened a formal investigation.
Violence also erupted on National Highway 37 on September 10. Mobs pelted a supply convoy carrying 150 fuel tankers and trucks with stones. The incident occurred in two phases near Awangkhun and Noney. The convoy was moving from Jiribam to Imphal when it hit an economic blockade organized by the United Naga Council. The group is demanding justice for six Liangmai Naga men abducted and killed on May 13.
Transport representative Naoroibam Abit noted the convoy stopped near Noney at 1:00 PM. It restarted at 3:00 PM under CRPF escort but faced intense stone-pelting at the Noney bridge. Over 20 vehicles sustained damage. Drivers Aheibam Punshiba and Kumukcham Sanatomba suffered severe head injuries. Abit also reported that armed individuals extorted money from stranded drivers. The convoy reached Keithelmanbi, where medics moved the wounded to Imphal for CT scans.
Drivers have launched an indefinite strike in response. Maibam Anil, General Secretary of the Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers Union, stated that operations will stay suspended until authorities bolster security and reach a formal agreement. As one protesting driver said, "Attacking drivers who serve the public is entirely unacceptable."
Updated at 12th September 2026 at 2:00am
The chaos on NH-37 intensified after the Joint Tribes Council-Manipur (JTC-Manipur) declared a total shutdown of the highway and all Central government-sponsored projects in its jurisdiction. The move comes after a CRPF CoBRA team allegedly arrested five local women: Rose Kamei, Stella Thaimei, Khamsinliu Phaomei, Kumtharla Kamei, and Ellen Kamei. The council labeled the arrests unwarranted and demanded their immediate release.
Authorities have surged security forces into Noney district to manage the fallout. Both the Rapid Action Force and CoBRA units have taken up positions at strategic and vulnerable points along the route. While the UNC blockade remains in effect, officials confirmed that emergency services, including medical supplies, media, power, water, and telecommunications, are exempt from the transit restrictions.
Updated at 12th September 2026 at 1:48pm
The JTC-Manipur labeled the arrests of Rose Kamei, Stella Thaimei, Khamsinliu Phaomei, Kumtharla Kamei, and Ellen Kamei as illegal and biased. The group warned the CRPF and government officials that they hold full responsibility for any fallout from these actions.
The council specifically identified the affected areas under its jurisdiction as the territories of the Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Inpui communities. They urged members of these groups to remain disciplined while enforcing the indefinite stoppage of transit and federal infrastructure work.
Updated at 12th September 2026 at 9:51pm
The Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM) called off its total shutdown of NH-37 and its ban on central government projects this Saturday. The move followed the release of Rose Kamei, Stella Thaimei, Khamsinliu Phaomei, Kumtharla Kamei, and Ellen Kamei, who had been detained at Noney Bazaar by the CoBRA unit of the CRPF.
While the JTCM cleared the way for movement, the broader fight drags on. The council confirmed the indefinite economic blockade enforced by the United Naga Council remains in full force. The JTCM stated that the women's release does not resolve the underlying grievances, including demands for justice for the six killed Naga men and calls for an update to the National Register of Citizens.
Updated at 13th September 2026 at 1:47pm
Petroleum tanker drivers officially ended their indefinite strike on September 13. The Petroleum Product Driver Association reached the decision after Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh promised monetary compensation and provided security assurances for those injured in recent attacks. Drivers are slated to resume fuel pickups from the Malom depot and bottling plants in Sekmai immediately.
While the union plans to restart transport from Jiribam, they confirmed that tankers will hold off on joining empty convoys until a formal meeting between stakeholders and the Chief Minister occurs on or before September 15. The association apologized for public inconvenience and urged civil society groups to stop targeting drivers who operate under government supply agreements.
The Joint Tribes Council-Manipur also formally withdrew its total shutdown on NH-37 and its ban on federal infrastructure projects following the release of the five detained women. However, the council explicitly warned that the broader economic blockade managed by the United Naga Council remains active and is expected to grow more intense.
Updated at 13th September 2026 at 9:49pm
Drivers emphasized that their crews belong to diverse communities and warned that attacking those hauling life-sustaining supplies puts every citizen in the crosshairs. They stressed that protecting transport workers is a collective duty, as the state remains tethered to precarious highway routes for its fuel and gas.
The JTCM credited the release of Rose Kamei, Stella Thaimei, Khamsinliu Phaomei, Kumthaha Kamei, and Ellen Kamei for their decision to stand down. While clearing the way for transit, the council maintained its hardline stance, declaring that the release of the detainees does not satisfy their broader demands for accountability regarding the mutilated bodies of the six Naga men.
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