It continued to severely cut the normal life of hill areas of Manipur state in the midst of continuing hostage taking by members of Naga and Kuki communities, while shutdown and indefinite blockade persisted.
However, the situation remained tense despite the visits of the church delegation teams to Kangpokpi and Senapati in an effort to support dialogue and peace building between the communities.
On Sunday, the United Naga Council (UNC), the top Naga body, stepped up its agitation, accusing the state government of failing to get the release of six Naga hostages believed to be held by Kuki groups. The council had threatened to extend the “inter-district economic blockade” on some of the country’s major roads in Nagas inhabited regions, saying it would end only when the hostages, including two pastors, were “released safely.
14 hostages, from both the Kukis and Naga tribes, were released in earlier talks on May 15, but the UNC reported that the government had not released all the hostages as it had promised in an ultimatum issued on May 14.
The blockade will be on-going on the major routes such as Imphal-Moreh, Imphal-Silchar and Imphal-Dimapur highways, cutting off the supply of essential commodities and interfere with normal movement in the region, UNC representatives said.
In the meantime, Manipur Police said search operations were on to find the abducted persons but no progress had been made yet.
In separate representations, the Kuki-Zo Council had sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for central intervention, sending more security personnel to sensitive areas, providing uninterrupted supply of essential commodities, moving the examination centres and looking into a separate administration.
Ethnic tensions in Manipur are growing further as humanitarian needs and travel restrictions impact on civilians in the hill districts, while both communities hold firm.