Shutdown in Manipur hill districts today

The shutdown that began in Manipur’s hill districts including Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts on Friday over fears of attacks on Kuki-Zo tribals, will continue on Sunday.

On September 25, predicting attacks on Kuki-Zo tribals in Manipur, various tribal organisations, including Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), asked people not to travel outside Kuki-Zo dominated areas between September 26 and 29.

After an emergency meeting, the ITLF had announced the closure of borders (between the Kuki-Zo community and Meitei inhabited areas) from September 26 to 29, closure of schools, institutions and offices from September 27 to 29 in the areas inhabited by tribals belonging to Kuki-Zo community.

The tribal organisations had also directed all village volunteers and citizens to be on high alert during these days.

An official said that shops, markets and various commercial establishments remained shut on Saturday, while vehicles excluding those of security forces and emergency services remained off the roads.

Though the administration and security forces were alert , no untoward incident was reported on Saturday.

The bandh was called earlier this week by various organisations of Kuki-Zo communities, including the ITLF, Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), in protest against the Manipur government’s Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh’s claim on September 20 that 900 Kuki militants after being infiltrated from Myanmar might carry out violence in peripheral villages of valley districts.

However, in a signed joint statement Manipur’s Director General of Police Rajiv Singh and Security Advisor Singh on September 25, retracted the claim and asserted that the likelihood of “any such misadventures by armed groups is minimal and unsubstantiated”.

“The reports of infiltration of 900 trained Kuki militants from Myanmar to carry out attacks in Manipur in the state on September 28, could not be substantiated on the ground,” the joint statement had said.