Commercial commodities confiscated and destroyed; vehicle and postal articles allowed to proceed, say Kuki groups in Ukhrul

The Working Committee of Kuki CSOs, Ukhrul, has categorically dismissed as "malicious" the propaganda claiming that a Naga man, Kharaingam Jaojo, a staff member of the Indian Overseas Bank, was kidnapped by Kuki-Zo groups near the Shangkai–Mahadev stretch of NH-202 on Monday.

The committee stated that the allegation is a blatant fabrication aimed at maligning the peaceful counter-economic blockade.

In a release, the committee stated that the counter-economic blockade was being enforced strictly in accordance with the earlier notified guidelines.

"No civilian has been asked to alight from any vehicle, nor has any traveller been detained. The only vehicle intercepted was an India Post truck found transporting vegetables and grocery items alongside legitimate postal consignments," the committee stated.

The committee claimed that the commercial commodities were confiscated and destroyed in accordance with the declared guidelines, while the driver, the vehicle, and all genuine postal articles were allowed to proceed unharmed.

Moreover, the entire NH-202 stretch from Mongkot Chepu to Mongneljang remains under heavy deployment of the Litan Sareikhong Police, the BSF, the CRPF, and the Indian Army, making the alleged kidnapping both implausible and absurd, the release stated.

The committee urged propagandists to desist from spreading fabricated narratives to discredit a peaceful democratic protest. It also urged the public and the media to verify facts before circulating misinformation.

Contrasting the ongoing protest with an earlier blockade, the committee furtherstated that, unlike the previously imposed unannounced selective economic blockade on the Kuki-Zo community—during which vehicles were allegedly torched and drivers assaulted—the ongoing counter-economic blockade is disciplined, transparent, and conducted under publicly declared protocols.