Normal life affected in Manipur's Kangpokpi district during tribal shutdown
The Committee on Tribal Unity called a 48-hour bandh following the death of a 42-year-old woman during a gunfight.
Normal life was partially affected in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Friday as a tribal organisation observed a 48-hour shutdown. According to reports from Hindustan Times, The Hindu and Deccan Herald, the protest follows the death of a 42-year-old Kuki woman during a gunfight between rival groups near Taphou Kuki village on Thursday morning.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) called the shutdown, which began at midnight on November 12. Markets and business establishments closed, while buses and autorickshaws remained off the roads, causing inconvenience to commuters. Travel was also restricted along the National Highway-2, with goods trucks and fuel tankers blocked at Kanglatongbi in Imphal West and at Senapati district.
COTU executive member Lamminlun Singsit stated that educational institutions, medical services and emergency services are exempted from the shutdown. Singsit alleged that the incident occurred due to the failure of security forces operating under the Senapati district superintendent of police (SP). The organisation has demanded the immediate withdrawal of these security forces from Kangpokpi.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity to Hindustan Times, said that while some supporters are on the streets, necessary security measures are being taken to prevent further violence. In a separate incident on Friday, a Naga farmer sustained bullet injuries to his right arm during an attack by unknown armed people at Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district.