Imphal: Naga Students’ Union Chandel (NSUC) has launched the shutdown of several government offices on Monday, opposing the removal of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the construction of a border fence along the Indo-Myanmar boundary.
Offices of the Deputy Commissioner, Sub-Divisional Officer, Autonomous District Council and the State Bank of India branch in Chandel were affected by the protest. No official work took place throughout the day. The protest was carried out in response to a 48-hour shutdown called by the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM).
The decision to launch the protest was based on a resolution passed during its presidential council meeting held on May 12, 2025. The protest plan was further confirmed during a meeting of office bearers on May 26, 2025, said Ansam in a press release. It said the 48-hour office picketing would be enforced across all Naga-inhabited hill districts starting June 2.
The protest in Chandel was supported by major Naga civil society organizations, including the United Naga Council, Tangkhul Katamnao Shaklong and the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation, along with other community-based organizations. The student groups said the protest was a peaceful but strong way of showing their anger over the fencing project and the removal of the Free Movement Regime, both threaten their traditional land and way of life.
“Our ancestral land and our desire to live under one administration as a united Naga people is our dream and our hope. There is nothing more important than this,” the student body said in a statement. They also warned that the protest was just the beginning.
