Manipur Shutdown Extended in Kangpokpi Over Killing of Two Kuki-Zo Civilians

A Kuki organisation in Manipur's Kangpokpi district has extended the ongoing total shutdown by another 48 hours to protest the killing of two youths whose mutilated bodies were recovered in neighbouring Senapati district.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) condemned what it described as the government's inaction over the killing of the two Kuki civilians and accused the authorities of failing to take concrete steps to ensure justice.

The bodies of the two youths, who had gone missing from Taphou Kuki village last week, were found in a hilly area of Senapati district on Sunday morning.

Following the recovery, CoTU had initially called a 24-hour shutdown across Kangpokpi district from Sunday. However, the organisation subsequently extended the protest, citing the government's alleged failure to act against those responsible.

CoTU criticised the government's "shameful indecision, unacceptable silence and continued failure" to initiate any tangible action to deliver justice for what it described as the brutal killing of two innocent Kuki-Zo civilians.

During the shutdown, schools, medical services, media operations and airport services will be exempted to facilitate essential travel, the statement said.

The organisation asserted that the Kuki-Zo community would not accept what it termed empty assurances and demanded concrete, decisive and time-bound action against those responsible for the killings.

Manipur has witnessed renewed ethnic tensions this year, with clashes between Kuki and Naga communities since February resulting in more than 50 deaths and the burning of dozens of houses across Tamenglong, Noney, Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts.

The state had earlier witnessed widespread ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kukis since May 2023. The violence claimed over 300 lives, left 49 people missing and displaced thousands.