Imphal: A prominent Kuki-Zo organisation based in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district has issued a stark warning to state and central authorities, declaring it can no longer be held responsible for any fallout after its 48-hour ultimatum to clear blockades on key national highways expired on Monday.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), alongside various local civil society organisations, had served the deadline on Saturday midnight. They demanded that the government immediately dismantle unauthorised checkpoints and gates allegedly established by Naga groups along National Highway-2 (NH-2) and National Highway-37 (NH-37).
With the deadline now lapsed and the blockades remaining in place, CoTU released a statement on Monday expressing deep frustration over official inaction.
"With the expiry of the 48-hour ultimatum, neither the committee nor any of its civil society organisations from Kangpokpi can be held responsible for any outcome to ensure normal transportation of goods and food items by ourselves," the statement read.
The national highways serve as critical lifelines and the economic backbone for the landlocked region. CoTU alleged that road transportation into the Kuki-Zo-majority district has been severely disrupted for more than a month, plunging residents into an acute humanitarian crisis.
The prolonged disruption has triggered a severe scarcity of food, fuel, and vital medical supplies, causing prices to skyrocket. Reports from the region indicate that a 50-kg bag of rice has climbed to ₹4,000, whilst black-market rates for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders have soared to ₹5,000. Petrol prices have reportedly reached an unprecedented ₹280 per litre.
The group criticised the government's approach, arguing that whilst India aims to strengthen regional trade and economic connectivity with Southeast Asia through the northeast, its domestic policy failures have allowed armed groups a free hand, destabilising peace and directly threatening the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
The current standoff on the highways traces back to May 13, following the abduction of six Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei village. In response, Naga village organisations erected checkpoints and initiated an economic shutdown along state and national highways, primarily to monitor the movement of Kuki armed groups.
Tensions in the region intensified further on June 10, when the bodies of the six abducted individuals were recovered near a Kuki-Zo village. Whilst local Naga volunteers maintain that they are not completely blocking the highways but merely conducting vehicular checks, CoTU contends that the measures effectively block the flow of all essential commodities into Kuki-inhabited areas.
Despite heavy deployment of security forces in the sensitive border sectors, the state government has yet to issue an official response to CoTU's latest declaration. Local residents continue to bear the brunt of the impasse as supplies rapidly deplete.