Imphal: "Tear gas and barricades near Kanglatongbi as a security-escorted convoy from Imphal Airport sparks confrontation. Locals ask: why is the Army shielding Kuki Militants?"
Tensions flared along the Imphal West border on Tuesday when a security-escorted convoy carrying allegedly 30 kuki militants from Imphal Airport toward Kangpokpi ran into a roadblock near Namdilong Naga village, in the Kanglatongbi area, Imphal, Manipur
Agitators had sealed the highway with burning timber, tyres, and mounds of earth, barricades that spoke to the communal fault lines still running through the region, where movement between districts remains fraught.
When security forces moved to clear the obstruction, the situation escalated. Personnel fired tear gas and smoke canisters to disperse the crowd. Thick smoke soon hung over the area, a visible sign of how volatile things had turned.
Amid the standoff, protesters on the ground raised pointed questions about the convoy itself. Several locals, speaking on condition of anonymity citing safety concerns, alleged that the approximately thirty individuals being escorted were kuki militants rather than civilians, and demanded answers as to why security forces were providing armed protection for their movement from Imphal Airport to Kangpokpi. "Why is the Army shielding them?" one agitator shouted above the din, a sentiment that appeared to ripple through the crowd.
The incident is the latest in a string of confrontations that have kept Manipur on edge. In recent weeks, protests and road blockades have repeatedly disrupted traffic along NH-2 and NH-37, with demonstrators in Kanglatongbi and Namdilong demanding action on hostage situations and abductions. The security forces did not respond to requests for comment at the time of filing.
Eyewitnesses and local residents alleged that a hyndai car parked along the roadside sustained extensive damage, occurred during lathi-charge operations by security forces, leaving all the vehicle's glasses, including the front and rear windshields, shattered, apart from multiple injuries of protesters due to lathicharging by security forces.
This is a developing story by NEWire.in
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