New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed competing Naga and Kuki factions in Manipur to jointly draft a detailed plan for reopening national highways that have been shut amid renewed ethnic clashes, underlining that everyday citizens should not be made to pay the price for political and ethnic conflicts.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, observed that the blockades were inflicting severe hardship and interrupting the flow of essential goods.
The court’s remarks came during the hearing of a petition filed by the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR), which sought the immediate lifting of the blockade on National Highway-2 (NH-2) and the resumption of supplies to Kuki-dominated regions, as reported by The New Indian Express.
NH-2, which links Imphal to Dimapur in Nagaland, and NH-37, connecting Imphal to Jiribam and Assam, serve as vital supply corridors for the landlocked state. The shutdown has triggered shortages of food, fuel and medicines, particularly in the hill districts of Manipur.
“Blocking of highways is not serving anybody’s cause. Hardship is faced by everyone. Why don’t you consider the intervention of some agency, SLA (service-level agreement), or any other platform. You must be tired of this fighting,” the bench said.
The court directed all parties and stakeholders to file suggestions on how to reopen the highways and keep them operational, and urged them to put in place a mechanism to ensure the uninterrupted movement of goods and people.
The latest standoff follows a fresh outbreak of Naga–Kuki violence in May, with each community accusing armed elements from the other side of abducting their people.
The case will be listed again after the parties submit their proposals.
Meanwhile, on Friday, two Naga village volunteers were killed and two other Naga community members injured when alleged Kuki rebels attacked in Manipur. The incident took place at Langka Naga village in the Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district.
