Normal life in Manipur’s Churachandpur was disrupted by a shutdown and protests against Kuki-Zo MLAs’ role in government formation, following overnight clashes with security forces.
Shutdown disrupts normal life in Manipur hill district | Photo source: Tribal organisation and Manipur Police
Normal life came to a standstill in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Friday after several Kuki-Zo tribal organisations called a 24-hour shutdown to protest the participation of MLAs from their community in the formation of the new state government. The shutdown, observed across the hill district, led to the closure of offices, markets, schools, and banks, while vehicles stayed off the roads, officials said.
The protest follows violent clashes between security forces and a mob that continued for nearly nine hours, ie from around 6 pm on Thursday till about 3 am on Friday, in the Tuibong area of Churachandpur. At least five people were injured in the clashes, which involved baton charges, stone-pelting, and the firing of tear gas shells to disperse protesters. Additional security forces have been deployed as the situation remains tense, officials added.
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The unrest centres on opposition to the involvement of Kuki-Zo MLAs in the government formation process. Tribal groups argue that elected representatives from the community should not have participated, given the prevailing tensions in the violence-hit state.
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On Friday, protest rallies were also held in Tengnoupal and other hill districts. In parts of Churachandpur district headquarters, agitators carrying sticks stopped vehicles, according to police officials in Imphal.
The shutdown was called by several organisations, including the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR), the Joint Forum of Seven (JF7), the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), and other Kuki-Zo groups. The KSO and KWOHR also organised a mass protest rally in the afternoon to oppose the MLAs’ involvement in the government.
According to officials, violence broke out last evening at Tuibong Bazaar and near the forest gate area. Protesters, mostly youths, allegedly torched heaps of discarded materials and burnt tyres while raising slogans against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, a BJP MLA from the Kuki-Zo community.
As central and state security forces moved in to disperse the crowd, they were initially outnumbered. Heavy stone-pelting forced security personnel to retreat briefly. They later regrouped and used tear gas shells, followed by a baton charge, to bring the situation under control. Intermittent clashes continued till around 3 am on Friday, after which additional forces were deployed to prevent further escalation.
Tensions in Churachandpur have been simmering since Wednesday evening after Nemcha Kipgen, who hails from Kangpokpi district, virtually took oath as Deputy Chief Minister from Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi. She is the lone woman in the Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh-led ministry, which assumed office on Wednesday.
Of the 10 MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community, three (Nemcha Kipgen, LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate) have so far been involved in the government formation process. Seven of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs belong to the BJP, while the remaining three are affiliated with local Kuki-Zo organisations.
Kipgen, Khaute and Sanate also virtually attended the seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on Thursday. Addressing the House, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said restoring peace and normalcy in the state was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, including elected representatives. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla said maintaining law and order remained the government’s foremost priority.
Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex body of the community, on Thursday announced a social boycott of all Kuki-Zo MLAs who participated in or were involved in the formation of the Manipur government.
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