Kuki group ends counter-inter-district economic blockade, highway shutdown
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
A Kuki organisation ended an indefinite counter-inter-district economic blockade and shutdown of the National Highway (NH) 202 connecting ethnic violence-hit Manipur with neighbouring Nagaland in Ukhrul following a meeting with the state government representatives on Tuesday.
Adding to this, The government agreed to prevent blockades. (AFP/Representative) The Working Committee of the Kuki Civil Society Organisation shared the counter-blockade was lifted effective from 4.30pm on Tuesday after a meeting with state home minister Govindas Konthoujam and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Thokchom Radheshyam in Ukhrul. The committee shared a handwritten agreement was signed with the government delegation, under which it agreed to ensure the safety and security of NH-202 and prevent any group from imposing blockades or disrupting traffic along the vital highway.
Meanwhile, The assurances included the “free and non-discriminatory” movement of essential commodities, a key demand amid concerns over restrictions on supplies and movement.
Notably, The Kuki body launched a counter-economic blockade on July 27 in retaliation for a Naga group’s inter-district economic blockade on all national highways in Manipur. The counter-blockade intensified the shutdown from August 5.
As per the latest buzz, There was no word from the United Naga Council on lifting its ongoing economic blockade.
In further updates, Naga and Kuki-Zo tensions escalated after May 13 twin ambushes left four people, including three church leaders, dead. On the same day, Kuki-Zo and Naga groups captured 48 people. On May 15, 14 captives each from the two communities were rolled out. The remaining 14 Kuki-Zo hostages were freed unharmed on June 9. Mutilated bodies of the six Nagas were found the next day.
On top of that, The ethnic violence in Manipur first began in 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have shut each other out of the areas they dominate.
The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal valley. The Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. The state government has maintained that there are no buffer zones dividing communities in the state, but it has identified certain sensitive areas.
Source: Hindustan Times