More than 300 vehicles, mostly goods trucks and passenger buses, were stranded on Sunday on Manipur’s National Highway No. 2 in Senapati district – the fifth consecutive day since the lockdown in Kangukpi district.
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), an apex body of the Kuki community, has called for a lockdown of all Kuki-inhabited areas starting midnight on May 13 to mourn and protest the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi. The lockdown was subsequently extended for another 48 hours in protest against the alleged arrest of 14 civilians from Kuki.
To extend support for KIM’s lockdown, the Kuki Sadar Hills Students’ Organization also called for a complete 48-hour lockdown across Kangpokpi, starting at midnight on May 15.
The closure disrupted vehicular movement along Senapati and Kangpokpi districts of NH-2, forcing many goods trucks and passenger vehicles to remain stranded between Khongnim and Tomyun Khulin villages.
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“More than 200 vehicles were stranded along the highway between Khongnim town and Senapati town, while another 100 vehicles were stranded between Mayangkhang and Tumion Khulin villages,” says a resident of Senapati town, 60 kilometers north of Imphal.
Passengers, drivers and transport operators are facing difficulties as basic supplies continue to run low in the region.
“We are facing a lot of hardships because we have been stranded here since the past five days. Some passengers have returned to their destination while others have taken alternative routes,” says Sukur, a stranded passenger bus driver.
Claiming lack of sanitation facilities and water supply, he said, “We buy rice at a price $110 per kilogram of potatoes $80 per kilogram. “We therefore appeal to the government to intervene immediately.”
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The Imphal Mau sector of NH-2 serves as one of the major supply lines of Manipur connecting the state to neighboring districts and plays a vital role in transportation of goods, fuel and other essential commodities.
The ongoing closure has raised concerns about potential shortages and disruption to supply chains if traffic is not restored soon.
Three church leaders from the Thado community were killed on Wednesday in an ambush by unidentified militants while they were returning to Kangpokpi from Churachandpur after a peace meeting.
