JTCM has demanded the unconditional release of the women and ordered a halt to vehicle and goods movement on NH-37, as well as Central government projects in areas under its jurisdiction.
BY PC Bureau
September 11, 2026: The Joint Tribes’ Council Manipur (JTCM), representing the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme communities, on Friday called for an immediate total shutdown of National Highway-37 and a halt to Central government projects in areas under its jurisdiction, protesting the arrest of five Naga women by a CRPF CoBRA team.
The council described the arrests as “illegal, biased and unjust” and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the women, whom it said were picked up from Noney (Longmai).
JTCM identified the women as Rose Kamei, Stella Thaimei, Khamsinliu Phaomei, Kumtharla Kamei and Ellen Kamei. Calling them “peaceful and innocent”, the council accused the security forces of targeting Naga civilians and said the arrests amounted to an attack on the democratic rights of the Naga people.
The shutdown order comes against the backdrop of growing tension between Naga groups and security forces in the Noney area.
JTCM linked the latest arrests to what it described as a continuing pattern of action against Naga civilians and Naga Village Guards (NVGs), while demanding accountability for the abduction and killing of six Liangmai men who went missing from Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district on May 13.
The mutilated bodies of the six men were recovered in June. The National Investigation Agency subsequently took over the case, and a couple from the same village was arrested in July. Naga organisations, however, have continued to demand stronger action and accountability.
“The Government of Manipur and the Government of India have consistently failed to deliver justice for the six murdered and mutilated bodies of Naga’s sons,” JTCM said, accusing the authorities of targeting NVGs instead of pursuing those responsible for the killings.
PELTERS ARRESTED | NONEY, MANIPUR
Swift action in Noney district:• 4 CSO members apprehended by CoBRA team.
• Detained for stone-pelting on civil trucks at Khumji.
• Supply corridor secured.Security Forces remain resolute in maintaining law and order on vital highways. pic.twitter.com/wfqoMxGrQa
— Mapping Conflicts NorthEast (@MappingNEast) September 11, 2026
NH-37 Shutdown, Central Projects Halted
Under its declaration issued on Friday, JTCM ordered:
- A total shutdown of NH-37, with the movement of vehicles and goods prohibited until further notice.
- A halt to all centrally sponsored projects in areas falling under what it described as the territorial jurisdiction of the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme tribes.
The council warned that if the five women were not released immediately, it would be “compelled to take stringent action”, holding the CoBRA team as well as the state and Central governments responsible for any consequences.
JTCM also warned people against violating the shutdown, saying anyone doing so would be treated as a “traitor to the cause of Naga people”.
At the same time, the council appealed to the four tribes and Nagas more broadly to remain united and maintain “calm and discipline” during the agitation.
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Tensions Between CoBRA and Naga Village Guards
The latest confrontation comes weeks after a clash involving CoBRA personnel and Naga Village Guards in Noney district.
In late July, tension erupted at Bitiang after a security operation near an alleged NVG camp reportedly left one village guard dead and several people injured. JTCM had subsequently called for a shutdown in protest.
CoBRA units were deployed in Manipur earlier this year after being shifted from areas affected by Left-wing extremism.
The circumstances surrounding Friday’s arrests remain unclear.
On September 10, a CRPF team arrested a man on NH-37 in Noney on alleged extortion charges. Manipur Police subsequently dismissed social-media reports claiming that women had forced his release, describing those reports as fake.
It has not been independently established whether the arrest of the five women on Friday is connected to that episode.
Six Liangmai Deaths Remain a Major Flashpoint
The JTCM protest is also rooted in the unresolved anger over the deaths of six Liangmai men.
The six went missing on May 13 from Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district. Their mutilated bodies were recovered in June, after which the NIA took over the investigation. A couple from the village was arrested in July in connection with the case.
According to JTCM, the bodies remain unclaimed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal pending what the council describes as a resolution of its demands.
The organisation has also opposed a proposed visit by Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to Luangkao, arguing that 119 days had passed without justice being delivered in the case.
NH-37, connecting Imphal with Jiribam and onward to Assam, is one of Manipur’s principal supply routes. Any prolonged blockade could therefore affect the movement of essential commodities and commercial traffic into the Imphal Valley.
JTCM has directed its constituent units to enforce the shutdown and appealed to print and electronic media to publicise its decision.
How long the highway blockade and suspension of Central projects will continue is likely to depend on whether the five women are released and how the security forces and state authorities respond to the council’s demands.
