Imphal: A 28-vehicle relief convoy carrying food and medicines to Kuki-Zo settlements in the Twilang region along the historic Imphal-Tamenglong Road (IT Road) faced a 24-hour ordeal after being repeatedly intercepted and attacked.
Following the incident, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Centre and the Manipur government, demanding the immediate reopening of all vital routes.
What is ordinarily a five-to-six-hour journey for civilians and central security forces turned into a 24-hour standoff along the IT Road in Kangpokpi district.
The crisis unfolded when the convoy, escorted by central security personnel, departed from Kangpokpi town.
The supply convoy was first halted at around noon by blockade enforcers at Chawangkining, a Liangmai Naga village located about 14 kilometres from the district headquarters.
Although security personnel successfully negotiated the convoy’s passage, it was intercepted again about 5–6 kilometres further along the road at Thonglang Atongba.
Blockade supporters allegedly planted nail traps that punctured the tyres of at least five vehicles, bringing the convoy to a halt.
The situation deteriorated as a large crowd, predominantly women from Thonglang Atongba and Thonglang Akutpa, gathered at the site. What began as a standoff turned into a tense, hours-long confrontation.
Security forces initially exercised restraint but were eventually forced to deploy smoke shells and tear gas at around 10:30 p.m. to disperse the crowd and ensure the convoy’s passage.
According to passengers, protesters threw stones and used slingshots as the convoy moved through the area, shattering windows and endangering the lives of women and children travelling in the vehicles.
Personnel from the Kangpokpi Police, the CRPF, and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed to clear the blockade. The repeated obstruction of essential supplies has, however, sparked widespread concern.
CoTU leaders strongly condemned the blockades, describing them as a deliberate attempt to deny basic necessities to an entire community.
They said preventing the movement of food, medicines, and fuel to women, children, and the elderly constituted a serious human rights issue rather than merely a law-and-order problem.
With CoTU’s 48-hour deadline set to expire at midnight on June 29, pressure is mounting on the authorities to remove all illegal blockades and ensure the uninterrupted movement of essential supplies across the region.