Manipur: Kuki-Zo leaders, MHA resume talks in Churachandpur amid indefinite shutdown

Following the breakdown of negotiations between Kuki-Zo leaders and the Kangpokpi district administration, fresh discussions commenced at 6:00 pm today, March 11 at the Deputy Commissioner's Office in Lamka, Churachandpur. A key representative from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is also present at the meeting.

The dialogue is being led by AK Mishra, MHA Advisor for the Northeast and the interlocutor for Kuki Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups. Various Kuki-Zo organizations, including the Kuki-Zo Council, Committee on Tribal Unity, Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, Kuki Inpi Churachandpur, ITAC, and Zomi Council, are actively participating in the discussions.

Meanwhile, the indefinite shutdown in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas has entered its third day, intensifying public unrest. The protests were triggered by the brutal killing of a young man at Keithelmanbi Military Colony in Kangpokpi district on March 8. Since the incident, the deceased’s body remains unclaimed at the Kangpokpi District Hospital Morgue, while Kuki-Zo women across the district have been holding continuous condolence vigils.

The shutdown has brought normal life to a standstill, with hundreds of Kuki-Zo women enforcing strict regulations on vehicle movement in Kangpokpi, allowing only emergency services to pass through. Commercial activity remains paralyzed, with shops and business establishments shut, and several trucks and goods carriers stranded in Senapati district.


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