UKHRUL/SENAPATI: Tensions escalated sharply in Manipur on Thursday after hundreds of Kuki protesters marched towards Kanto Sabal, a Meitei-dominated village, in an attempt to dismantle a checkpoint gate set up by members of the Naga community at Kanto Sabal.
The protesters who came from the Leimakhong side, demanding the lifting of the ongoing economic blockade by Naga community, advanced towards the checkpoint at Kanto Sabal area alleging that the blockade has triggered severe shortages of food grains, medicines and other essential commodities in Kangpokpi district.
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However, troops of the Punjab Regiment under the 57th Mountain Division intercepted the marching protesters near Kanto Sabal and prevented them from moving further, averting a possible confrontation and further escalation in the sensitive area.
Following the intervention, the protesters staged demonstrations and shouted slogans demanding uninterrupted movement of essential supplies and immediate restoration of National Highway-2.
The incident comes days after a similar protest erupted along the Kangpokpi–Imphal West border, where Kuki demonstrators demanded free movement of goods and essentials into Kuki-dominated areas.
The latest developments unfold amid a month-and-a-half-long economic blockade enforced by Naga groups, restricting the transportation of goods and supplies into Kuki inhabited regions following rising tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities.
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Meanwhile, members of the Naga and Meitei communities continued their blockade protest at Namdilong along NH-2.
Speaking to reporters during the agitation, Landingam Kamei, president of the Naga Humanitarian Aid Committee, said the blockade would continue until justice is delivered for the killing of six Naga civilians.
“We stand together with the Meitei community against Kuki terrorism operating in the hill districts of Manipur. Until justice is delivered to the six Naga civilians who were brutally murdered, the economic blockade will continue,” he said.
Kamei also issued a stern warning to transporters and traders against supplying goods and essential commodities to Kuki-dominated areas, stating that “serious action” would be taken against anyone violating the blockade.
He further alleged that central security forces were facilitating the transportation of goods and individuals despite the ongoing agitation and claimed that the Naga Humanitarian Aid Committee would continue its protest despite pressure from authorities.
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