Kuki CSO Working Committee-Ukhrul Launches Counter Blockade, Accuses Police of Bias, Rejects 'Kidnapping' Allegation

Escalating the confrontation over the prolonged disruption of supplies in Manipur's hill districts, the Kuki CSO Working Committee (WCKCSOs)-Ukhrul has announced an indefinite counter-economic blockade on National Highway-202, accused the Manipur Police of "selective policing" and institutional bias, and strongly rejected what it described as a "fabricated kidnapping narrative" allegedly circulated to malign its agitation.

The committee maintained that the blockade was not a matter of choice but a "compulsion" forced upon the Kuki-Zo community after months of alleged government inaction over the continued obstruction of essential commodities to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas of Ukhrul, Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts.

The committee said it had exhausted all democratic avenues, including submitting memoranda, holding consultations with authorities, accepting repeated assurances and exercising restraint, but alleged that every assurance ultimately proved hollow while residents continued to suffer shortages of essential goods.

Following consultations with Kuki-Zo civil society organisations from Ukhrul and Kangpokpi, the committee resolved on July 26 to enforce a counter-economic blockade on NH-202 with immediate effect from midnight. It said the agitation would continue until the government ensured unrestricted movement of essential commodities through "concrete action rather than mere assurances."

The committee clarified that vehicles carrying patients during medical emergencies, passenger vehicles, travellers proceeding to catch flights and security forces would be permitted after inspection to ensure no commercial goods were being transported. It further announced that all government and private institutions within the jurisdiction of 14 Kuki-Zo villages would remain closed until further notice.

Expressing regret for the inconvenience likely to be caused by the agitation, the organisation asserted that a community allegedly deprived of its basic necessities could not be expected to remain silent indefinitely. It held the authorities solely responsible for the prevailing situation, alleging prolonged official inaction had compelled the community to resort to what it termed a democratic form of protest.

Calling upon blockade volunteers to remain vigilant and prepared, the committee alleged that governments had repeatedly responded with force whenever Kuki-Zo communities resorted to democratic protests while allegedly displaying indifference towards similar blockades enforced by Meitei and Naga groups.

In a separate statement titled "Questions Buried Beneath the Narrative," the WCKCSOs launched a scathing attack on the Manipur Police, particularly the Ukhrul Police, alleging that the force had abandoned the principles of professionalism, neutrality and integrity.

The organisation claimed that police had consistently failed to act against alleged violations affecting Kuki-Zo villages around Litan Sareikhong and accused authorities of allowing the construction and prolonged use of bunkers overlooking Mongkot Chepu despite repeated representations by Kuki-Zo civil society organisations.

According to the committee, police had repeatedly justified their inaction by claiming that Tangkhul mobs prevented them from intervening, raising what it described as serious questions over the State's ability or willingness to enforce law and order.

The committee also questioned police handling of an incident on June 19 in which a protest involving interception of vehicles travelling towards Ukhrul was, according to the organisation, portrayed by sections of the media as a kidnapping case. It alleged that the Officer-in-Charge of Litan Police Station was publicly celebrated for rescuing "hostages" from an incident that the committee claimed never occurred.

The committee further alleged that the Manipur Police amplified an unverified narrative through its official platform instead of correcting misinformation, arguing that such actions damaged the credibility of the security establishment.

It also questioned the police version regarding a recently publicised recovery of arms, claiming that village authorities from Thowai Kuki, Shangkai and Mongkot Chepu recognised only a fraction of the weapons reportedly recovered by police. The committee alleged discrepancies over the recovery of firearms, ammunition, a pistol, a pouch, additional live rounds, a Pumpi and a 12-bore rifle, asserting that only the police could explain the alleged inconsistencies.

The organisation maintained that public confidence would ultimately depend on consistent and impartial policing rather than publicity surrounding recoveries and official claims.

In another statement, the WCKCSOs categorically rejected allegations that an Indian Overseas Bank employee identified as Kharaingam Jaojo, a Naga, had been kidnapped by Kuki-Zo volunteers near the Shangkai-Mahadev stretch of NH-202.

The committee termed the allegation a "blatant fabrication" allegedly intended to malign what it described as a peaceful counter-economic blockade.

Referring to its earlier notification governing enforcement of the blockade, the organisation reiterated that no civilian had been asked to alight from any vehicle and that no traveller had been detained during the agitation.

It acknowledged intercepting only an India Post truck, alleging that it was transporting vegetables and grocery items alongside legitimate postal consignments. According to the committee, the commercial goods were confiscated and destroyed in accordance with the declared blockade guidelines, while the driver, vehicle and all genuine postal articles were allowed to proceed unharmed.

The organisation further argued that the alleged kidnapping was implausible because the entire NH-202 stretch between Mongkot Chepu and Mongneljang remained heavily deployed with personnel from the Litan Sareikhong Police, BSF, CRPF and the Indian Army.

Accusing what it termed Tangkhul-Meitei propagandists of attempting to discredit the agitation, the committee asserted that the ongoing counter-economic blockade was being conducted under publicly declared guidelines and contrasted it with what it described as earlier "selective" blockades imposed on the Kuki-Zo community.

Appealing to the public and media, the organisation urged verification of facts before circulating information, maintaining that misinformation would only deepen mistrust amid the continuing conflict in Manipur.