The Kuki-Zo tribal body has threatened counter-restrictions on Tangkhul and Liangmai movement in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas if the alleged blockade is not lifted.
BY PC Bureau
September 9: The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Sadar Hills, has issued a “final warning” to the Manipur government over what it described as an “inhumane and selective” blockade targeting the Kuki-Zo community, threatening to impose counter-restrictions on the movement of Tangkhul and Liangmai people in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas if the blockade is not lifted.
In a statement issued on September 9, COTU accused groups from the Tangkhul and Liangmai communities of enforcing what it called a “targeted and communal blockade” against Kuki-Zo people, vehicles and essential supplies.
COTU said the blockade amounted to “ethnic persecution and collective punishment”, alleging that Kuki-Zo civilians, vehicles carrying essential commodities and medical emergency movements were being stopped or harassed despite government assurances that national highways were open for movement.
The organisation said the Kuki-Zo community had itself refrained from imposing blockades despite prolonged hardship, arguing that essential commodities, medicines and civilian movement should remain unhindered for all communities.
COTU cites government order
COTU referred to a Manipur government order issued on August 28, 2026, by Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) N. Ashok Kumar, which prohibits road blockades and warns of prosecution against those obstructing movement.
The organisation demanded that the order be enforced immediately and “without bias”, arguing that the government must act against groups allegedly restricting movement on the highways.
COTU warned that failure to remove what it described as the blockade by Tangkhul and Liangmai groups would leave the Kuki-Zo community with “no option” but to impose restrictions of its own.
It specifically threatened “total restriction” on the movement of Tangkhul and Liangmai communities in all Kuki-Zo-dominated areas if the government failed to take what it called concrete and immediate action.
COTU makes counter-allegations
The Kuki-Zo body also accused Tangkhul groups of being the “mastermind” of the prolonged conflict in Manipur, a charge that reflects the competing narratives surrounding the state’s ethnic violence.
COTU said its demand for justice extended beyond the six Liangmai civilians whose alleged killings have been a major point of contention, saying justice was also required for “hundreds of innocent civilians” killed during the conflict.
It further alleged that pastors, women and a newborn baby were among those killed by armed groups it identified as Tangkhul-led NSCN and ZUF-K.
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These are allegations made by COTU and were not independently established in the statement.
The organisation said it would hold the Government of Manipur and groups continuing the alleged blockade responsible for any further escalation.
The statement was issued by COTU’s Information and Publicity Wing in Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi.
The warning comes amid continuing tensions over highway access, checkpoints and movement restrictions in Manipur, where competing community organisations have repeatedly accused each other of obstructing civilian and commercial movement since the ethnic conflict erupted in 2023.
COTU has previously issued ultimatums over highway movement and alleged checkpoints in Kangpokpi district as the wider conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities continues to complicate the movement of people and essential supplies across the state.
