Manipur Tensions: Trucks, Buses Stranded on NH-2 for Sixth Day
Security sources said that about 300 goods-laden trucks and nearly 700 passengers are stranded in the ongoing deadlock
Guwahati: Amid the simmering tension between Kuki and Naga groups over the missing persons after May 13 ambush in Manipur, hundreds of trucks carrying goods and passenger buses remained stranded on National Highway-2 for the sixth consecutive day on Monday. Majority of them are stranded in Manipur's Senapati district.
Security sources said that about 300 goods-laden trucks and nearly 700 passengers are stranded in the ongoing deadlock.
Informing that the prolonged disruption has caused severe hardship to travellers and truck drivers, security sources said that many of them have been facing shortages of food, drinking water and other essential supplies while stranded along the highway.
Admitting that local residents, Assam Rifles personnel and drivers’ unions have been providing relief materials and other essentials to those stranded, the truck drivers, majority of them from outside the state, demanded that the government should escort them outside the state.
The crisis began after an ambush on May 13 in which three church leaders belonging to the Thadou tribe were killed. The incident subsequently triggered tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities, leading to allegations of abduction and detention from both sides.
According to the state home department, reports initially indicated that more than 38 persons had gone missing following the violence. However, authorities later stated that 32 individuals had since returned. During a meeting with the United Naga Council (UNC) at Senapati on May 15, the home department sought more time to ascertain the exact number of people missing after the incident.
Meanwhile, six persons belonging to the Naga community, as claimed by the UNC, and 14 persons from the Kuki community, according to Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), continued to remain missing. Both communities have accused each other of holding their members captive.
The UNC in a statement alleged that six Naga civilians, including two pastors, are still in the custody of Kuki militants despite repeated search operations and government interventions. The council stated that 14 out of 20 alleged Naga hostages had been released earlier, while the remaining six were yet to be rescued.
Alleging failure on the part of the government to secure their release despite repeated appeals and extended deadlines, the UNC announced an indefinite inter-district economic blockade along national highways passing through Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur. “Given the situation, we are constrained to launch an inter-district economic blockade along the national highways in the Naga areas in Manipur with immediate effect until the safe rescue and release of the Naga hostages are duly carried out,” the statement said.
On the other hand, Kuki Inpi Manipur extended its ongoing shutdown by another 48 hours, alleging continued government inaction regarding its charter of demands and the failure to rescue the missing Kuki individuals allegedly taken hostage in Senapati district.
KIM stated that the extended shutdown came into effect from midnight of May 17 and appealed to all federating units and civil society organisations to continue supporting the agitation.
