Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a civil association body of Kukis, has further extended existing Kuki-Zo Total Shutdown in Kangpokpi district of Manipur to another 48 hours after the recovery of the two missing Kuki men on Sunday.
The deceased are identified as Thangginlun Chongloi aged 21 and Paoginlal Hangsing aged 20. They were both villagers of Taphou village in Kuki people from Kangpokpi district.
The two were supposedly kidnapped between the Hengbung and Taphou Kuki villages on October 28, reports said. CoTU claimed that the Naga groups are behind their kidnapping.
CoTU Accuses Government of Failure
The committee said in a statement on Monday that the shutdown was done in protest of the government’s inability to save the lives of the two people. It said that the authorities had not been decisive enough in their actions, which led to the deaths of the youths.
CoTU was shocked at such governmental apathy and said it could not be condoned as it would be another chapter of impunity.
The organisation, which was not happy with the government’s shift, called for an explanation of the incident.
Shutdown Extended Multiple Times
Initially, CoTU had called for a total shutdown up to 5 pm on October 29 for 48 hours. The shutdown was then extended for a further 24 hours and then for a further 48 hours.
The current extension will remain as is another two days in Kangpokpi district.
The two deaths have further exacerbated tensions in the area and the recovery of their bodies has led to renewed protests and criticism by the Kukis-Zo (KZ) organisation for the handling of the case.