CoTU Rally in Manipur Demands Deputy CM Address Security, Shortages
Imphal: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has announced a 24-hour total shutdown on National Highway-2 (Imphal–Dimapur Road) from 5:00 AM on September 1 to 5:00 AM on September 2 to protest rising violence against Kuki‑Zo villages, following a deadly ambush on Teikhang village along the IT Road corridor. The attack on Monday morning killed three civilians, left four critically injured and destroyed several homes by fire, according to CoTU’s August 31 press communiqué, which blamed the violence on NSCN‑IM and ZUF.
CoTU said essential services will be exempted from the shutdown; educational institutions, medical and fire services, banks and the electricity department will continue to operate. The group staged a large protest march from Nute Kailhang to the Additional Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen detailing urgent security concerns.
The memorandum alleges that armed factions linked to NSCN‑IM and ZUF‑K, operating through local Naga communities in Chawangkaning, Thonglang, Maki and Taphou Naga along National Highway‑2, have blocked the movement of food, medicine and daily necessities to Kuki‑Zo habitations since mid‑May 2026. It calls for immediate measures to ease tensions and restore normal life, including removal of restrictive checkpoints at Thonglang, Chawangkaning and Taphou Naga; guaranteed safe passage for ambulances and medical staff to the Tujang Vaichong Primary Health Centre; deployment of central security forces to vulnerable fringe areas such as Chalwa, S. Songpibung and Thenjang; and upgrading police stations at Chalwa, Leimakhong and Kangchup to full operational capacity.
The memorandum also seeks a resolution of a boundary dispute concerning Senapati district police exercising authority inside Kangpokpi revenue zones, including Taphou Kuki and Hengbung villages. CoTU said the shutdown is intended to draw urgent national attention to what it described as a rapidly deteriorating security situation.
Monday’s ambush is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the volatile IT Road corridor. On August 27, an alleged ambush killed four Naga civilians, and an August 14 attack on Langka village left two Liangmai Naga civilians dead. CoTU and local communities say repeated casualties have prompted persistent highway disruptions and retaliatory blockades, and they are demanding immediate state intervention to halt further bloodshed.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/manipur/manipur-cotu-stages-rally-submits-memorandum-to-deputy-cm-citing-security-supply-shortages.html
Category: Manipur,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-08-31 20:19:00