Imphal: Kuki civil society organisations (CSOs) have responded the present bandh, imposed by the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC), with economic blockade enforced along National Highway-2 (NH-2) (Imphal-Dimapur) in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday.
The blockade that began early in the day, targeted Kuki-inhabited areas along NH-2, a major lifeline for the state.
Goods transpprt services were paralyzed. Vehicles remained stranded on the highway.
Transporters and traders have expressed concern that any prolonged disruption could lead to shortages and a spike in prices of daily essentials.
Prices of onion, which was Rs 35-40, has gone up to Rs 50 in the markets of Imphal.
Leaders of the Kuki Working Civil Society Organisations in it’s statement said, “The blockade is a direct response to the FNCC’s continued enforcement of its bandh, which has restricted the movement of Kuki people through Naga-inhabited areas since July 18.”
Describing the FNCC’s actions as “discriminatory and unjust,” a spokesperson for the Kuki CSOs said, “This blockade will continue until the FNCC lifts its illegal bandh and allows our people to move freely.”
The FNCC, on the other hand, has justified its protest as a response to alleged Kuki “expansionism,” including claims of territorial encroachment and politically motivated development projects. The organisation has been particularly vocal against the construction of roads, including the controversial ‘German Road,’ which it says passes through ancestral Naga lands without proper consultation or consent.
In a recent press release, the FNCC warned that any attempt to block NH-2 would prompt the sealing off of Naga-dominated routes, including NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur), NH-37 (Imphal- Silchar via Jiribam), and roads leading to Peren district in Nagaland and the NC Hills in Assam.
With both groups refusing to back down, the standoff has further strained ethnic and territorial relations in the region.
