Nation
Manipur: Shutdown in Kangpokpi hits normal life for 2nd day over killing of 2 Kuki youths
Markets and businesses remain closed as the Committee on Tribal Unity demands time-bound action over the recovery of the mutilated bodies of two missing Kuki civilians
Normal life was disrupted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as markets and business establishments remained closed during a shutdown called by a tribal organisation over the alleged state government inaction in the killing of two Kuki civilians.
Several goods vehicles heading towards Imphal were unable to enter Kangpokpi and remained stranded in neighbouring Senapati district, police said.
Additional security forces were deployed in Kangpokpi to prevent any untoward incident, a senior police officer said.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) called the shutdown to protest against what it described as the state government’s failure to act over the killings.
The mutilated bodies of the two youths, who had gone missing a few days earlier, were found in a hilly stretch of neighbouring Senapati district on Sunday morning.
Following the recovery, CoTU had initially called a 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi from Sunday. The organisation extended it by another 48 hours on Monday night.
CoTU said the extension was in protest against the government's “shameful indecision, unacceptable silence and continued failure to initiate any tangible action to deliver justice for the brutal and inhumane killing of two innocent Kuki Zo civilians”.
The organisation said the Kuki-Zo community would not accept “empty assurances and administrative excuses in place of justice” and demanded time-bound action against those responsible.
Manipur has been affected by ethnic conflict between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities since May 2023. The violence has claimed at least 306 lives, while 49 people remain missing and thousands have been displaced.
Clashes between Kuki and Naga communities have also been reported in the state in recent months.
Normal life remains disrupted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi for a second day as CoTU observes a shutdown over the killing of two Kuki youths. The organisation has demanded time-bound action against those responsible for the killings.