CoTU has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding restoration of unrestricted movement on highways through Kangpokpi, marking a notable shift from its earlier blockade stance.
Imphal, June 27: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Government of India and the Government of Manipur, demanding the immediate restoration of unrestricted movement along National Highways and inter-state roads passing through Kangpokpi district.
The demand marks a significant development in Manipur's three-year conflict, as CoTU—one of the principal Kuki-Zo organisations that had previously enforced highway blockades and opposed unrestricted movement across the buffer zones during the ethnic violence—is now calling for the removal of what it describes as unauthorized checkpoints that have disrupted traffic through Kuki-majority areas.
In a press statement issued after a joint meeting with civil society organisations in Kangpokpi on Friday, CoTU said the decision was taken unanimously after deliberations with all participating organisations.
According to the statement, the ultimatum takes effect from midnight of June 27.
CoTU alleged that the movement of essential commodities and the public has remained severely affected for over a month because of road blockades and checkpoints allegedly operated by Kacha Naga groups.
It stated that the "continued obstruction of free movement of essential commodities, goods, medicines and daily basic necessities along the National Highways and Inter-State Highways passing through Kangpokpi District" had created serious hardship for residents.
The organisation said that "road transportation—the lifeline of the people and the backbone of economic activities—has remained severely disrupted due to the continued blockade and the operation of unauthorized checkpoints and gates allegedly manned by Kacha Naga groups of Manipur."
According to CoTU, the disruption has affected "the transportation of essential commodities, medical supplies, commercial goods, and free movement of public," impacting not only Kangpokpi district but communities across Manipur.
The organisation said repeated appeals had failed to produce any response from the authorities.
"Despite repeated appeals and the passage of considerable time, the Government have failed to restore normalcy and ensure unobstructed movement along these public highways," the statement said.
CoTU demanded that the Manipur government, in coordination with the Central government and security agencies, "immediately remove all unauthorized checkpoints and gates established along the National Highways and Inter-State Highways and restore unrestricted public access within 48 hours."
The organisation warned that failure to meet the deadline would compel the Kuki-Zo community to "undertake appropriate and pre-emptive democratic measures to safeguard the interests, rights, and security of the general public."
It further stated that if any untoward incident occurs because of continued inaction, "the responsibilities shall rest entirely with the Government of Manipur and the concerned Authorities for their inability to uphold law and order and ensure the free movement of citizens."
CoTU also reiterated "its commitment to the protection of public interests" and urged the authorities to act immediately to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
The latest demand represents a notable shift in the public position adopted by CoTU since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023.
Since the beginning of the conflict, National Highway-2 and National Highway-37 have become the state's most strategically important transport corridors. NH-2 connects Imphal with Dimapur through Kangpokpi district and serves as the shortest route for petroleum products, LPG cylinders, food grains and medicines entering Manipur. NH-37 links Imphal with Silchar through Jiribam, Noney and Tamenglong districts but is longer, narrower and frequently affected by landslides during the monsoon.
As the conflict hardened into territorial divisions between the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley and the surrounding Kuki-Zo and Naga hill districts, both highways increasingly became contested spaces. Security forces established buffer zones while different community organisations erected checkpoints and restricted civilian movement.
Among the most influential organisations in the Kuki-Zo areas, CoTU became one of the principal groups enforcing restrictions along the Kangpokpi section of NH-2. The organisation consistently maintained that unrestricted travel across the buffer zones could not be permitted without a comprehensive political settlement, including its demand for a separate Union Territory with a legislature for the Kuki-Zo people.
The first major government attempt to reopen the highways came in June 2023 following Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Manipur.
After the Centre appealed for restoration of essential supplies, CoTU announced a temporary seven-day suspension of its blockade beginning June 5, 2023. However, movement remained tightly regulated. Vehicles were permitted to travel only during specified daytime hours, were limited to carrying essential commodities and medicines, and moved under security escort. The arrangement collapsed soon afterwards as fresh security incidents led to the restoration of the blockade.
A second attempt came in December 2024 when the state government quietly prepared to resume public passenger transport into Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. However, no passengers boarded the buses because of widespread fears over safety, forcing the initiative to be abandoned before services could resume.
The most significant confrontation occurred on March 8, 2025, after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed security forces to ensure "free movement" across Manipur.
The state administration flagged off escorted Manipur State Transport buses from Imphal, including a service intended for Senapati via Kangpokpi.
As the convoy reached the Gamgiphai area, protesters blocked the highway using trees, rocks and burning tyres. Violence subsequently erupted between protesters and security forces after armed firing was reported from within the crowd. One protester was killed, dozens of protesters and security personnel were injured, security vehicles were burned and the convoy was forced to retreat.
Following the incident, CoTU imposed an indefinite shutdown across Kangpokpi district, effectively ending the Centre's free movement initiative.
Another reopening effort followed in September 2025 after the Ministry of Home Affairs renewed the Suspension of Operations agreement with Kuki insurgent groups.
The Centre announced that the Kuki-Zo Council had agreed to reopen NH-2 for unrestricted movement. However, the Kuki-Zo Council immediately clarified that it had agreed only to the escorted movement of essential supplies and not unrestricted civilian travel across the buffer zones. Within days, it publicly rejected claims that NH-2 had been reopened and reiterated that unrestricted movement remained unacceptable without a political solution.
While Kuki-Zo organisations maintained blockades along the hill sections of the highways, Meitei organisations in the Imphal Valley established their own checkpoints along valley entry points. Groups including the Federation of Civil Society, Meira Paibis and Arambai Tenggol were reported to have inspected vehicles and regulated the movement of goods entering the hill districts, contributing to the deepening physical separation between the communities.
The prolonged disruption also affected successive governments.
During the tenure of former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, helicopter travel became the primary means of reaching several district headquarters after security threats made road travel through Kuki-majority areas increasingly difficult. In June 2024, an advance police convoy securing his proposed road visit to Jiribam was attacked near T. Laijang in Kangpokpi district, forcing the visit to be cancelled.
After assuming office in February 2026, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh sought to demonstrate the restoration of governance by travelling by road from Imphal to Jiribam through NH-37 in April 2026 under heavy security. The journey marked the first road visit by a sitting Chief Minister through the sensitive corridor since the conflict began.
The Chief Minister later met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in June this year to seek accelerated development of the Imphal–Dimapur and Imphal–Jiribam highway corridors after resolving long-pending land compensation issues in Kangpokpi and Noney districts.
Despite repeated government initiatives between 2023 and 2026, unrestricted movement across Manipur's principal highways has remained elusive as competing blockades, buffer zones and security concerns hardened into a de facto territorial divide.
Against that backdrop, CoTU's latest ultimatum places one of the organisations that previously resisted unrestricted movement in the position of demanding that governments ensure free passage along the same highways. Whether the authorities respond within the 48-hour deadline may determine the next phase of the continuing contest over mobility and territorial control in Manipur.
