Normal life was partially disrupted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on November 13 as business establishments remained shut during a 48-hour shutdown called by a tribal organisation to protest the killing of a woman in a gunfight between rival groups.
Public transport services, including buses and autorickshaws, remained off the roads, causing inconvenience to commuters.
The Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) called the shutdown from midnight on November 12 following a gunfight near Taphou Kuki village on Thursday morning. The organisation exempted educational institutions, medical facilities and other emergency services from the shutdown.
A COTU functionary demanded the withdrawal of all central and state security forces from Kangpokpi, particularly those operating under the command of the Senapati district Superintendent of Police. He alleged that the security arrangements under the Senapati SP had failed to protect residents.
The shutdown followed a gunfight between rival groups near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi and Kailengjang in neighbouring Senapati district around 11 am on Thursday. A 42-year-old Kuki woman was killed in the incident, while two men sustained injuries.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities since May 2023. The conflict has claimed at least 306 lives, left 49 people missing and displaced thousands.
Additionally, at least 50 people have been killed in clashes between Kuki and Naga groups in the hill districts since February this year.
