CoTU shutdown disrupts normal life in Manipur’s Kangpokpi

Normal life was disrupted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on October 11 as a 24-hour shutdown called by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) kept shops closed and significantly reduced vehicular movement.

The shutdown began at 6 pm on Saturday and continued through Sunday, with Kangpokpi town, a major commercial centre in the district, witnessing little activity. Business establishments remained shut, while public and commercial transport stayed off the roads. Movement was largely limited to local vehicles and those exempted from the shutdown.

The shutdown remained effective despite the absence of CoTU volunteers deployed to enforce it. Security personnel were stationed along the highway to monitor the situation and prevent any untoward incidents.

Meanwhile, Kuki-Zo women gathered at Gamgiphai around 1 pm on Sunday to pay tribute to Sandeep Rai, a Gorkhali farmer who was killed in an ambush in Ukhrul district on Saturday morning, according to CoTU sources.

Rai’s body was expected to be brought to his residence in Senapati district, with the procession scheduled to reach Gamgiphai around 1 pm.

CoTU called the shutdown to protest what it described as coordinated attacks in Manipur’s hill districts. The organisation cited incidents in Chassad in Kamjong district, Yaolen in Ukhrul district and along the IT Road in Kangpokpi.

No untoward incidents had been reported till the filing of this report. The shutdown was scheduled to end at 6 pm today.