Indefinite Shutdown In Kuki-Dominated Areas In Manipur Called Off, Days After Clashes With Security Forces
Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi:
An umbrella body of the Kuki tribes in Manipur said they have called off the “indefinite shutdown” imposed after the March 8 clash between the Kuki tribes and the security forces over the Centre’s order to allow free movement in the crisis-hit state.
The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in a statement on Thursday said they will keep opposing the Centre’s decision to allow free movement of people in Manipur, though they ended the indefinite shutdown imposed in areas where the Kuki tribes are dominant.
The indefinite shutdown did not affect other areas in Manipur, officials said.
“… We would like to officially announce the lifting of the indefinite shutdown previously called by the Kuki-Zo Council w.e.f 07.30 pm of 13th March 2025. The decision to end the shutdown comes after careful deliberation. However, it is imperative to make it clear that while the shutdown has been lifted, the Free Movement, as announced by the Home Ministry shall be vehemently opposed by the Kuki-Zo people, as it undermines and dilutes the justice process,” the KZC said in the statement signed by its information secretary Khaikhohauh Gangte.
On March 8, the day the Centre ordered all roads in Manipur to be opened, a protester was killed and 16 others were injured in Kangpokpi district; 27 security personnel were also injured, and two of their vehicles were set on fire, the police said.
“Until justice is duly served for the Kuki-Zo people, any move toward unrestricted free movement will be vigorously opposed… We call on all relevant authorities to recognise and respect our legitimate demands, and to work towards a peaceful resolution that will bring justice and security to the Kuki-Zo people,” the KZC said.
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Manipur is under the President’s rule. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla’s deadline for handing over looted and illegally held firearms ended last week. The security forces will crack down on heavily armed “volunteers” if they try to set up road blockades again, sources said.
The KZC did not say how they plan to “oppose” unrestricted free movement.
The valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 250 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.
Kuki leaders, nearly two dozen militant groups that have signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, and their frontal civil organisations have demanded the Centre give them a separate administration before allowing communities to move freely across Manipur.
Meitei organisations have questioned why thousands of internally displaced people living in relief camps are threatened by the Kuki tribes from returning home to rebuild their lives, and why people cannot travel safely on national highways, when talks can go on simultaneously.
