Protest against ‘economic blockade’ in Manipur escalates as Kuki-Zo groups try to enter ‘buffer zone’
Security forces use tear gas to disperse crowds as Kuki-Zo groups demand removal of blockade to let essential supplies enter Kangpokpi district.
This comes amid a month-and-a-half-long ‘economic blockade’ by Naga groups, blocking the entry of goods and supplies into Kuki-Zo areas, as tensions escalated between the two communities
(Representational Image)
Tension flared up in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district Tuesday after Kuki-Zo protesters staged a demonstration at the border between Kangpokpi and Imphal West districts, demanding the restoration of the supply of essential commodities along National Highway-2 into Kangpokpi.
This comes amid a month-and-a-half-long ‘economic blockade’ by Naga groups, blocking the entry of goods and supplies into Kuki-Zo areas, as tensions escalated between the two communities. Kangpokpi, a Kuki-Zo majority district, is the worst affected as both major routes through which goods enter the district have been blocked by Naga groups in Naga-majority Senapati district and the state capital, as reported earlier by The Indian Express.
Advertisement
On Tuesday, the protesters marched towards the ‘buffer zone’ — between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, which have largely been heavily manned by security forces through the course of the conflict between the two communities since May 2023 — beyond Gamgiphai in Kangpokpi district, where they alleged that the goods were being blockaded.
Security forces deployed at the ‘buffer zone’ stopped the procession from advancing, leading to a brief face-off with the demonstrators. As tensions escalated, security personnel used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and prevent them from crossing the ‘buffer zone’.
48-hour ultimatum
Tuesday’s protest had been called by the Committee on Tribal Unity — a Kuki-Zo organisation in Kangpokpi -– after issuing a 48-hour “ultimatum” to the Centre and Manipur government on June 27 to restore the movement of goods on the highway. The group had said it would “undertake appropriate and pre-emptive democratic measures to safeguard the interests, rights and security of the general public” if the blockade wasn’t removed by Monday.
Advertisement
Highway blockades have been a recurring feature during the conflict and protests in Manipur, and have also been deployed on multiple occasions by the Kuki-Zo groups in Kangpokpi in the past. But with the conflict now turning into a three-way one — between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei, and Kuki-Zo and Naga communities — groups in Kangpokpi find themselves increasingly geographically isolated.
This comes amid a month-and-a-half-long ‘economic blockade’ by Naga groups, blocking the entry of goods and supplies into Kuki-Zo areas, as tensions escalated between the two communities
(Representational Image) 
Share
