Hundreds of Kuki-Zo protesters continued their sit-in demonstration at Gamgiphai in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, with community leaders stating that the protest will continue until the movement of essential commodities along National Highway-2 is fully restored.The demonstration comes amid concerns over the prolonged disruption of traffic on the strategic highway. Community leaders said the restrictions have affected the supply of food, medicines and other essential goods to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas.Earlier in the day, protesters marched towards the buffer zone at Gamgiphai with the intention of moving further. However, security personnel stopped the march at the buffer zone, resulting in a brief face-off between the two sides. According to reports, several protesters sustained minor injuries during the confrontation and were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.The situation later returned to normal after officials from the district administration and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) held discussions with representatives of the protesting community.
Despite the talks, community leaders said the sit-in protest on National Highway-2 would continue until their demands are met. They said emergency services, ambulances and security force convoys would be allowed to pass through the protest site, while the demonstration would continue to press the authorities for the restoration of normal traffic.Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills president Thangminlen Kipgen alleged that the Kuki-Zo community has not obstructed the movement of essential commodities since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict in the state. However, he claimed that prolonged blockades at Namduilong-Kanglatongbi and other locations have severely disrupted the supply of essential goods to Kuki-Zo areas.He said the community had earlier withdrawn its own shutdown after receiving assurances from the government that traffic on the highway would be restored. According to Kipgen, the promised reopening has not yet taken place.
“We have decided to continue this protest until the government ensures the reopening of the highway at Namduilong-Kanglatongbi and other affected locations,” Kipgen said.The protesters have maintained that their agitation is aimed at ensuring uninterrupted movement of essential commodities to affected areas. Community leaders said they would continue the sit-in until the authorities take concrete steps to restore normal traffic along the strategic highway.There was no immediate official response from the Manipur government regarding the latest protest or the allegations made by the community leaders at the time of filing this report.
