Imphal: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) based in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Friday issued a public notice that all boundaries within Churachandpur and Bishnupur District will be sealed for security reasons.

The highly controversial move comes after the Manipur Home Department on Thursday, the 21st December 2023 issued a notification informing all that the Imphal-Kangpokpi-Mao Highway and the Imphal-Bishnupur-Churachandpur District Highway are operational and open for use by all.

According to the press statement issued by ITLF, it said that they have received intelligence input about an imminent threat by the Meitei to disrupt the Christmas season. And for this reason, from 23rd to December 2023 till January till the 5th of January 2023, all non-tribals within the district are not allowed to move out of the district and those non tribal from outside are not permitted to move inside the district.

The Manipur Home Department on Thursday said, for convenience and security of the people using the highways, additional security forces have been deployed under the operational command of the following senior officers Nishit Kumar Ujwal IGP Zone 3 and K. Kabib IGP Zone 2.

The Home Department notification further stated that Nishit Kumar Ujwal IGP Zone 3 will look after Imphal-Kangpokpi-Mao Highway and K. Kabib IGP Zone 2 will oversee the Imphal-Bishnupur-Churachandpur Highway.

As per the order convoy along the routes will start for Imphal-Kagpokpi-Mao Highway from 9am from BOC in Imphal (movements towards Mao in Senapati District), and also 9m onwards for movements towards Imphal (assembly of Trucks/vehicles) at Senapati Head Quarter.

For the Imphal Bishnupur Churachandpur Highway (movements towards Churachandpur) trucks and vehicles will be assembled at Malom in Imphal West and for movements towards Imphal, trucks and vehicles will assemble at Torbung.

On the other hand, the Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District in a press statement vehemently opposing the Home Department order said, the Committee feels that the notice is issued to portray normalisation in violence hit state so that the invidious affairs of the state is concealed.

It further said that ‘the Kuki_Zo populace is emotionally separated from the valley of death i.e Imphal and we are pursuing our political separation from the state of Manipur.’

The intentional-conjecture of the home department, which is headed by the Chief Minister, instantly discloses its authoritarian disposition and partisan administration. The Kuki-Zo community does not accept any kind of tyrannical policies detrimental to our survival & wellbeing. 

The Committee also appealed to the state government to withdraw its order in toto and any untoward incidents arising out of it will be the sole responsibility of the authorities concerned.