Manipur: CoTU calls 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi over arrests, security concerns

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a Kuki-Zo organisation based in Kangpokpi district, has called a 24-hour total shutdown across Kangpokpi from midnight on Tuesday (October 20) to midnight on Wednesday (October 21), citing concerns over the arrests of Kuki-Zo individuals in connection with the killing of three Meitei civilians and the killing of a Kuki-Zo man by armed militants.

In a statement issued on October 20, CoTU expressed concern over what it described as the indiscriminate arrest of Kuki-Zo individuals in the case involving the three Meitei civilians killed in the Nongshum-Sunurok area on October 19. The organisation said the involvement of those arrested should be established through a fair and impartial investigation.

CoTU also referred to the killing of Paolenmung Thangeo, which it attributed to armed militants, saying the incident had added to the insecurity faced by the Kuki-Zo community.

The organisation cited figures of 32 Kuki-Zo people killed, 30 villages burnt, 271 houses destroyed and 2,516 people displaced, highlighting what it described as the continuing impact of the conflict on the community. The figures were provided by CoTU and could not be independently verified.

Describing the shutdown as a protest over justice, accountability and security, CoTU appealed to members of the Kuki-Zo community to observe it peacefully and maintain discipline.

The organisation said emergency medical services and other life-saving emergencies would be exempt from the shutdown.

The shutdown call comes amid heightened tensions following the killing of three civilians in the October 19 firing incident at Nongshum-Sunurok. The circumstances surrounding the incident and the allegations raised by the different parties require investigation.