The Kuki-Zo community in Manipur has intensified its opposition to recent state transport policies, threatening an indefinite shutdown if the measures are not withdrawn. A 48-hour total shutdown, organized by civil society organizations in Kangpokpi District, began on December 3, paralyzing the region. Essential services, including schools and vehicular movement, were exempted.
The protest stems from a government directive urging the resumption of public transport along routes connecting Imphal to Kangpokpi, Senapati, Bishnupur, and Churachandpur. In response, hundreds of Kuki-Zo women staged a blockade at Gamgiphai, a critical junction at the Kangpokpi-Imphal West border, resisting the directive.
Ng. Lun Kipgen, spokesperson for the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), criticized the policy as “partisan and baseless,” accusing the government of undermining the Kuki-Zo’s movement for separate administration. “This directive serves no purpose other than to vilify our community and derail our struggle,” Kipgen said, adding that the community would persist in its protests until the policy is revoked.
The Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills also condemned the government’s plan to deploy Manipur State Transport (MST) buses in conflict-hit areas, calling the move “reckless and insensitive.” The organization proposed alternative routes for MST operations, urging the government to prioritize resolving political demands over enforcing transport services in volatile zones.
Proposed alternative routes include:
Moirang-Imphal-Sekmai
Gamgiphai-Kangpokpi-Tamenglong
Gamgiphai-Kangpokpi-Mao
Lamka-Saungdoh-Lamka
Kakching-Imphal-Moirang
Pallen-Moreh-Pallen
The Kuki Inpi warned that deploying buses under heavy security without addressing root causes of unrest would exacerbate tensions. “The government must focus on resolving the community’s political demands instead of risking lives with ill-conceived directives,” the organization stated.
