Photo Courtesy: nenews
Imphal: Kuki groups shut down Churachandpur on Saturday. Protesters blocked the Imphal-Churachandpur route near Kaprang to stop Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh from entering the district. Markets stayed closed and transport stopped. Tensions spiked Friday night when gunmen fired into the air near Jalengphai village.
The chaos surrounded the final rites for Vungzagin Valte. The 61-year-old former BJP lawmaker died in February after a two-year fight to recover from mob violence. He was assaulted in Imphal during the May 2023 riots. After treatment in Delhi, he passed away in a Gurugram hospital.
Kuki organizations issued a strict warning. They stated they would not permit the entry of any Meitei individual, official or group into the district until the “Kuki-Zo-Meitei conflict” is resolved. The groups now demand a federal probe into Valte's death and a separate legislative territory for the Kuki-Zo people.
Valte was buried at a cemetery in Dorcas Veng. His funeral had been delayed for weeks while community leaders pressed the government for accountability. Manipur remains gripped by ethnic violence that has claimed roughly 260 lives since last year.
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