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Manipur tribal body reimposes blockade on national highways after flare-up
A prominent Kuki community group on Monday clamped a blockade of two arterial national highways in Manipur that is likely to severely crimp the supply of goods and essentials to the state capital Imphal.
A prominent Kuki community group on Monday clamped a blockade of two arterial national highways in Manipur that is likely to severely crimp the supply of goods and essentials to the state capital Imphal, marking a setback in the faltering government efforts to restore normalcy in the state.
The announcement by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) came roughly two days after three Kuki villagers were gunned down by unidentified gunmen, shattering the fragile peace established in the northeastern state that has been roiled by ethnic violence for three months.
The blockade – implemented on National Highway 2, which runs from Dimapur (Nagaland) to Imphal, and National Highway 37, which runs from Silchar (Assam) to Imphal – was implemented in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi, and Jiribam districts after midnight on Sunday. It is likely to severely constrict the flow of trucks from Nagaland and Assam into the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley, which is dependent on both the highways for food, fuel and essentials. The blockade was imposed days after it was lifted following an appeal from Union home minister Amit Shah.
“The economic blockade of the two national highways was imposed as Meitei groups are preventing essentials, including medicines, from reaching our areas. Only supply of medicines would be exempted by the blockades, which will continue till there is smooth movement of goods to Kuki areas,” said Ng. Lun Kipgen, media cell coordinator of COTU.
On Sunday, Manipur Police said the movement of 163 vehicles along NH-2 carrying essentials “had been ensured”.
“Strict security measures are in place in all vulnerable locations and security convoy is provided in sensitive stretches in order to ensure free and safe movement of the vehicles,” it said in a statement. A senior Manipur government official, who did not wish to be identified, said: “Both the state and central governments are closely monitoring the situation in Manipur. There are adequate security arrangements on both the highways to ensure seamless flow of essential supplies to not just in the valley but also to all the hill districts of Manipur.”
HT reached out to the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, a prominent conglomerate of Meitei civil society organisations, for a response but did not get one immediately.
On August 16, COTU issued a three-day ultimatum to the Centre and state government to ensure the supply of essentials and medicines to Kuki-dominated districts.
“Since that announcement, some medicines were sent to Moreh in Tengnoupal (a Kuki-dominated district) under escort. Essentials would be allowed to move without security cover. We want the Centre to instruct the Manipur government to ensure that. We are compelled to do this. But this is the only leverage we have with the state government,” said Kipgen. As reported earlier, Meitei groups, including women bodies like Meira Paibis, have been blocking roads leading to Kuki-dominated areas since the start of the clashes, leading to scarcity of essentials both for civilians and security personnel stationed in those areas. Some supply of essentials reach Kuki-dominated areas like Churachandpur district from adjoining Mizoram.
The blockade underlines the deep mistrust between the two communities locked in the deadly ethnic conflict that has claimed 160 lives and displaced another 50,000 people.
Clashes in Manipur first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. The clashes have virtually partitioned the state between the dominant Meitei community that lives in the plains and constitutes 53% of the state’s population, and the tribal Kuki group, which lives in the hill districts and makes up 16% of the state.
