IMPHAL, Dec 5: A 48-hour total shutdown has paralyzed Kangpokpi district since midnight on December 3, causing significant disruption to daily life. Markets, shops, and businesses across the district remained closed, although schools and vehicular movement were exempt from the shutdown.

The shutdown was called by civil society organizations of Sadar Hills in response to the Manipur government’s appeal for the resumption of public transport services along key routes, including Imphal-Kangpokpi-Senapati and Imphal-Bishnupur-Churachandpur. The move by the government was aimed at restoring normalcy in public transportation, but it has faced fierce opposition from the Kuki-Zo communities.

Hundreds of Kuki-Zo women gathered at Gamgiphai, a strategically located village on the Kangpokpi-Imphal West border, to block any attempts to enforce the government’s directive. Local leaders have condemned the move, accusing the government of trying to “forcefully normalize” the situation without addressing the underlying grievances of the community.

Ng. Lun Kipgen, spokesperson for the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), denounced the government’s action as “partisan and baseless,” claiming that the Chief Minister was attempting to derail the Kuki-Zo movement. Kipgen described the Chief Minister’s actions as a “desperate attempt” to impose “vilified and unfounded ideas” on the Kuki-Zo people, further deepening the divide. He called the directive “unwarranted and preposterous” and emphasized that it undermines the community’s struggle for a separate administration.

The Kuki Inpi, an influential community body, echoed these sentiments, calling the government’s push for the resumption of public transport a “reckless and insensitive” effort. They argued that the government was trying to restore services without addressing the root political issues that the Kuki-Zo communities face.