IMPHAL, Oct 1: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) has declared a 24-hour statewide shutdown starting at midnight Tuesday, in response to the ongoing 48-hour bandh in Thoubal district. This action is a protest against the government’s failure to ensure the release of two Meitei youths kidnapped by Kuki militants, despite a second round of negotiations by a Manipur Police team.
The abducted individuals, Oinam Thoithoi Singh and Thokchom Thoithoiba Singh, were taken on September 27 while en route to the 33 Assam Rifles camp in New Keithelmanbi for an SSC General Duty recruitment test. A third youth, Ngangom Johnson, was rescued by the Army the next day and subsequently returned to the Manipur Police.
Johnson explained that they had followed directions from Google Maps, inadvertently entering a Kuki-dominated area. They were detained by Kuki women at a checkpoint on the NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) highway near Gamgiphai and later handed over to armed militants while blindfolded.
To negotiate the safe return of the remaining hostages, a meeting led by the Director General of Police, Manipur, took place with various Civil Society Organizations from Kangpokpi district on Monday. A second round of discussions occurred on Tuesday, but sources indicate little progress was made.
On Saturday night, a video surfaced on social media featuring the two hostages appealing to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh for their release and urging the government to meet the militants’ demands. The chief minister confirmed on Monday that the Kuki militants had presented a list of demands, including the transfer of certain Kuki inmates from Sajiwa Central Jail to Churachandpur district, a Kuki stronghold, in exchange for the hostages.
Biren assured the public that the government is committed to ensuring the safe return of the youths and urged citizens to refrain from escalating tensions in the state.
The ongoing strike in Thoubal district has resulted in the closure of Asian Highway No. 1 and the shutdown of shops and services, except for essential medical and religious activities. The JAC is calling on civil society organizations, meira paibis, local clubs, and the public to support the shutdown.
