Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: A Kuki civil society working committee launched an indefinite counter-blockade on National Highway-202 in Manipur’s Kamjong district this Wednesday. The shutdown started at noon at Chassad. It followed a 36-hour administrative ultimatum that failed to produce results. Tensions remain high. The group claims sections of the Tangkhul Naga community enforced a six-month economic embargo, though this charge lacks independent verification.
Women volunteers are currently monitoring the road. They are inspecting vehicles and seizing essential goods. Medical supplies, emergency services, telecom, electricity departments, and military convoys have exemptions from these restrictions. Local police and administration officials are now trying to negotiate with both communities to stop the escalation.
The Kuki-Zo Council issued a strict mandate regarding recent casualties. They ordered regional civil society groups to stop the burial of community members allegedly killed by Naga armed groups. The remains must go into cold-storage facilities as an act of protest. "The directive mandates that the remains of victims be preserved in cold-storage facilities as a collective measure of protest against ongoing violence and perceived administrative inaction," the group stated.
This order followed a violent Tuesday at Leisangphai in Tamenglong district. Arsonists burned several farmhouses and killed two Kuki-Zo women. These deaths add to a September 13 attack that killed four people across Tamenglong and Noney districts. The death toll stands at six. While Kuki groups blame Naga insurgent factions for the attacks, police maintain the perpetrators remain unidentified. Investigations continue.
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