Manipur: Kuki body announces 48-hour economic blockade on NH-2

The Kuki body, in a statement on Monday, expressed regret that even after the end of the 48-hour ultimatum given on October 4, the government has not resolved the matter.

Committee on Tribal Integrity (CoTU), a Kuki Zo-body, announced a 48-hour economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) from Monday midnight in protest against the government’s alleged indifference over the suspected abduction of Kamginlen Chongloi of L Phaikot village in Leimakhong at Makhan Village near Indira Gandhi National Tribal University on October 2.

Representational image.

Makhan is a Liangmei Naga Village in Kangpokpi district.

The Kuki body, in a statement on Monday, expressed regret that even after the end of the 48-hour ultimatum given on October 4, the government has not resolved the matter.

“The reluctance of the Ministry of Home Affairs to address the security preparedness at the buffer zones between the two geographical divides undermines the fears and insecurities of the Kuki-Zo in the region,” the committee stated.

The blockade will be effective “from October 7 up to October 9 midnight until the demands for security preparedness at the buffer zones is rectified and to ensure security of commuters travelling between Kangpokpi and Churachandpur while passing through Makhan and Leikhampokpi villages”.

In an earlier statement issued on October 4, the committee stated that on October 2, Chongloi, an employee of Leimakhong Army headquarters, was waylaid at Makhan while returning home from Sapormeina, and was taken to Khurkhul in Imphal West district. He was also allegedly tortured and brutally beaten by armed militants, the statement claimed.