Three injured in clash during highway blockade in Manipur

At least three people were injured on Monday (June 22, 2026) in a clash between Kuki protesters who were forcing the closure of a highway and security personnel in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district.

Kuki civil society organizations have called a closure on National Highway 37 on Sunday (June 22, 2026) to protest against “selective security operations” allegedly targeting villages inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people.

Several groups of protesters gathered in the New Keithelmanbi stretch of highway in the morning to restrict vehicular movement and demand withdrawal of the ongoing security operations. The highway connects Manipur’s capital Imphal with Jirib on the state border with Assam.

The situation escalated after security personnel used crowd control measures, including smoke bombs and baton charges. At least three protesters were injured in the ensuing scuffle.

The local unit of Kuki Inpi, a peak community organisation, condemned the “aggressive and violent dispersal of peaceful protesters” using “tear gas, live ammunition and batons”.

The Kuki Inpi unit, which criticized the authorities for failing to address public concerns, blamed two armed Naga groups – the Nagalim National Socialist Council and Kamson’s Zeliangrong United Front faction – for the ongoing ethnic tensions.

Blockade lifted

Later in the day, the Tribal Unity Committee announced the withdrawal of its blockade on NH 2 (Kohima-Imphal connector) and NH 37 in agreement with the government.

An organization representing a group of Kuki-Zo communities said the blockade was lifted in the interest of public safety and peace following assurances from the Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police that essential commodities would be transported safely to Kuki-Zo villages.

Meanwhile, a group of women activists in Imphal submitted a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla demanding the “immediate and unconditional release” of four members of the radical Arambai Tenggol.

The four were among 10 people arrested on June 19 by the National Investigation Agency in six separate cases of ethnic violence in Manipur.

“Arambai Tenggol is not an armed group but a socio-cultural organization formed to preserve and protect the identity of the Meitei community,” Thokchom Chandrasakhi Devi, one of the activists, told reporters after presenting the memorandum to the governor’s office.

Published – 22 Jun 2026 22:27 IST