The Manipur government’s move to open highways passing through Kuki-Zo dominated districts suffered a severe blow as Kuki-Zo civil bodies on Saturday forced two state-run buses to turn back. Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi has issued a notification stating that strict security measures have been implemented to resume transportation of both passengers and goods along National Highway-2, connecting the Manipur Valley to Imphal and Senapati (Naga-dominated districts) via Kangpokpi and Imphal-Churachandpur road also known as Tiddim road, starting Saturday. According to the notification, two buses operated by the Manipur State Transport (MST) – one heading to Mao and another to Churachandpur – were flagged off from Imphal under heavy security measures. However, Kuki-Zo civil bodies forced MST buses to return from Kanglatongbi along NH2, and from Phougakchou area in Bishnupur district along Tiddim road. Notably, the Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITLF) and Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), in a joint statement on Saturday, announced the closure of the road linking Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts from December 23, 2023 to January 5, 2024, citing “security issues”. “As we have received intelligence input about an imminent threat from the Meiteis, the general public is advised to avoid travelling on the said road during this period,” the joint statement said. Central paramilitary forces and the state police have been deployed along the route. The MST bus service between Imphal and Senapati departed from North AOC at around 10:30 am on Saturday, with some passengers belonging to Mao and Tangkhul communities (Nagas). The bus driver was also not from the Meitei community. However, as the bus reached the Kanglatombi area, a large number of volunteers stopped the bus and forced it to turn back. On the other hand, the MST bus that departed from Malom to Churachandpur, around the same time, with just one Naga passenger, was also forced to return from the Phougakchao area by a large number of people. While the bus heading to Churachandpur was made to turn back along with the passenger, the passengers in Senapati-bound bus reached their respective destinations with alternative transports after the MST bus was forced to return.
