Manipur district shuts down over killing of elderly Kuki man
Kangpokpi paralysed as Kuki-Zo community protests abduction, killing
Imphal: Normal life came to a standstill in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district as the Kuki-Zo community observed a 24-hour shutdown to protest the abduction and killing of a 71-year-old man, highlighting continuing insecurity and deepening tensions in the conflict-hit state.
The shutdown was called by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) after Hemjang Haokip was abducted from his farm hut on October 3 and later found dead following an extensive search by villagers and security forces.
The shutdown began at midnight and brought commercial and public activity across the district to a halt. Shops, business establishments, private institutions and schools remained closed, while government offices were also affected.
Vehicular movement on National Highway-2 was halted, except for services covered under exemptions. At Bongmol village, largely women volunteers enforced the shutdown by stopping vehicles and checking documents of those seeking exemption, including media and emergency-service vehicles.
Several vehicles travelling along the highway were stopped and directed to turn back, while benches placed across the road blocked traffic at Bongmol.
Haokip’s body was recovered late Sunday afternoon and brought to the Kangpokpi district headquarters later that night before being shifted to Churachandpur for preservation at a morgue.
The killing has triggered widespread grief and anger among members of the Kuki-Zo community, who have continued to face insecurity amid the prolonged ethnic conflict in Manipur.
Indian armed forces remained deployed along the highway and monitored the situation throughout the shutdown.
