Manipur violence: Day after move to lift NH blockade announced, Kuki National Organisation spokesperson’s house set on fire

On Sunday, the KNO and UPF – both come under the tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the Manipur and central governments – said that the decision was taken keeping in view Union minister Amit Shah’s “deep concern to restore peace and harmony in the state and alleviate the plight of people in general”. The blockade, they said, would be lifted with immediate effect “to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities in the state”. NH-2 is a critical lifeline of the state, connecting Imphal to Dimapur in Nagaland, and the blockade – which has been in place since May 3 – had impacted the flow of essential supplies.

Haokip was one of the two signatories of the statement, along with UPF spokesperson Aaron Kipgen.

The decision to lift the blockade amid continuing violence did not go down well with sections of the Kuki-Zomi community. Following this, Haokip had released a message to be circulated in the community stating that “the singular purpose of the decision was to expedite talks for political settlement” in the form of separate administration for Kuki-Zomi territories.

The KNO is an umbrella group of 17 Kuki insurgent groups currently under the Suspension of Operation agreement. The president of the KNO is P S Haokip, who is also the chairman of the Kuki National Army (KNA), one of the most influential Kuki insurgent groups.