Manipur Violence: The group has alleged there is a policy to placate one community over another. (File)
Alleging that there is a selective blockade in the valley, preventing essential items from reaching the hills, a tribal group has threatened to block two national highways which are the lifelines of land-locked Manipur. Issuing an ultimatum, the group has said it will begin the blockade in three days if things don't improve by then.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a key tribal group, has threatened to block both the main National Highway 2, which connects Manipur to Nagaland, and the longer National Highway 37, which links the state to Assam. The move is likely to exacerbate tensions in Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic violence for over three months.
The NH2 had been blocked at least twice since the violence began in May. When Home Minister Amit Shah had visited Manipur in May-end, he had requested groups like CoTU to lift the blockade, and they had complied.
"CoTU would like to express its disappointment over the goodwill mission by the Government of India and the groups that have signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with regards to the opening up of national highways against the wishes of the people. We had hoped there would be reciprocity from the valley people," said CoTU's Media Cell Coordinator, Ng. Lun Kipgen.
He said the supply chain of essential commodities from Imphal valley towards the hill areas, particularly Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Tengnoupal and Moreh, have been "stalled by mobs".
Issuing an ultimatum, Mr Kipgen said, "In view of this, CoTU felt that this prescriptive policy to placate one community over the other by the Centre needs to be considered. Therefore, the public will be compelled to impose a highway blockade if the Government of India fails to check the selective blockade being carried out in the valley within three days, with effect from August 17".
Over 180 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured in the violence in Manipur, which began on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
More than 60,000 people remain displaced and property worth thousands of crores has been destroyed.