Manipur Shutdowns Hit Kangpokpi, Imphal Valley After Fresh Killings And Arson

A bandh over the killing of a 45-year-old Kuki man brought normal life to a halt in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Wednesday, amid a fresh spike in ethnic violence. The man was gathering bamboo shoots when he was killed, a day after at least six Kuki homes were set on fire in Ukhrul, Hindustan Times reported.

The shutdown in Kangpokpi coincided with the final day of a 48-hour bandh in the Imphal Valley, called after three Meiteis were killed in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday. By Wednesday, major markets across the valley’s five districts, including Imphal West and Imphal East, remained largely deserted.

Shutdown Disrupts Imphal Valley

The 48-hour shutdown began on Monday evening along National Highway 202, which connects Imphal to Nagaland through Ukhrul. The Native Peoples Committee Manipur also enforced the shutdown across the Imphal Valley.

Bandh supporters blocked major roads in Imphal and surrounding areas, including Palace Compound Road, Patsoi, Singjamei, Mayai Lambi, Khoyathong and Khwairamband Ima Market. Educational institutions remained closed, while public transport stayed off the roads.

Three Arrested In Ambush Case

Police said three people had been arrested in connection with Monday’s ambush. According to preliminary findings shared by Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, two of the suspects admitted to being part of the group involved in the killings.

“The role of the third arrested man in this heinous crime is being probed, and the investigation is on to identify the others who are involved in the case,” Lhatoo said.

The Joint Action Committee formed after the killings has said it will not accept the bodies until the government takes action against all those involved.

On Monday, Meitei protesters placed two bodies at the main gate of Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh’s residence, accusing the authorities of failing to protect civilians. The protesters alleged that suspected armed Kuki militants were behind the ambush.

Security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd after protesters breached security outside the residence and parked a truck carrying the bodies there. The victims’ families alleged that the attackers belonged to the Kuki community.

Manipur’s Continuing Ethnic Tensions

The latest ambush was the first reported violence between Meiteis and Kukis since July 13, when armed Kuki groups attacked Meiteis in Torbung Bangla in Bishnupur district. No deaths were reported in that incident.

At least 50 people have been killed in the state over the past few months, mostly in clashes between Nagas and Kukis. The wider ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, which began in May 2023, has claimed at least 306 lives and displaced 66,000 people, with communities becoming concentrated in separate enclaves.

On May 13, a double ambush in Kangpokpi killed four people, including three church leaders. On the same day, 48 civilians from the Kuki and Naga communities were taken hostage by the two sides.

Fourteen people from each community were released two days later, while 14 Kukis and six Nagas remained captive. Following 27 days of protests and appeals for their unconditional release, 14 Kukis were freed on June 9. The mutilated bodies of six Naga hostages were recovered on June 10, further heightening tensions.