Imphal: More than 500 vehicles remained stranded along NH-2 in Manipur’s Senapati district on Sunday as an ongoing shutdown over the killing of three church leaders entered its fifth consecutive day. Safe movement of 130 vehicles carrying essentials along NH-37 has been ensured, reported Manipur Daily.
The shutdown, called by Kuki organisations in protest against the killings in Kangpokpi district earlier this week, has severely disrupted movement along the Imphal-Mao stretch of NH-2, one of Manipur’s key supply routes. According to residents, over 200 vehicles were stranded between Khongnem and Senapati town, while another 100 vehicles were stuck between Mayangkhang and Tumuyon Khullen villages.
The protest was initially announced by the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), an apex Kuki body, from midnight of May 13 to mourn the deaths of the church leaders and condemn the violence. The shutdown was later extended by another 48 hours over the alleged detention of 14 Kuki civilians. Supporting the agitation, the Kuki Students’ Organisation Sadar Hills also enforced a separate 48-hour total shutdown across Kangpokpi district from May 15 midnight.
The unrest follows the ambush killing of three senior leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association (TBA) in Kangpokpi district on Wednesday. The victims — identified as V Sitlhou, Kaigoulun Lhouvum and Paogoulen Sitlhou — were returning from a church conference in Churachandpur when armed militants attacked their vehicles between Kotzim and Kotlen villages. Four others were injured in the assault.
The killings triggered widespread condemnation from Kuki-Zo civil society groups and student bodies, several of which announced indefinite shutdowns across Kuki-dominated areas. The Kuki Zo Council alleged involvement of cadres linked to the Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson faction and the NSCN-IM, though both organisations denied any role in the attack.
The intermittent ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have persisted since 2023.
