Manipur: Two state-run buses forced to turn back due to protests by Kuki-Zo groups
Earlier this week, the state government had resumed inter-district bus services from Imphal to four districts.
Two state-run buses in Manipur were forced to turn back after Kuki Zo protestors blocked their path, The Indian Express reported.
Earlier this week, the state government had resumed inter-district bus services from Imphal to the tribal-dominated districts of Senapati, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur and the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district.
However, on Saturday, a Manipur State Transport bus travelling to Mao in the Senapati district was forced to turn back from the Kanglatongbi area, The Times of India reported. Another bus on its way to Churachandpur was made to return to Imphal from the Phougakchou village.
On Saturday, the Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum and Committee on Tribal Unity called for a road linking Churachandpur and Kangpokpi to be closed from December 23 to January 5 next year, citing “security issues”.
A joint statement by the two organisations read: “As we have received intelligence input about an imminent threat from the Meiteis, the general public is advised to avoid travelling on the said road during this period.”
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since early May. The conflict has left 175 persons dead, according to police records. Nearly 60,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes.