Imphal: Kuki-Zo volunteers intensified their indefinite shutdown by blocking the road and allegedly preventing an emergency ambulance carrying patients in Kangpokpi district on the National Highway 102, which links Myanmar to India via Nagaland and Manipur, on Tuesday night.
A group of Kuki-Zo people loyal to the Kuki-Zo Council, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), and the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) allegedly attacked the ambulance, beating the occupants with hands and clubs around 11.45 pm, reports said.
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The Kuki-Zo Council has imposed an indefinite total shutdown.
A video of the incident went viral on social media on Wednesday.
Although the indefinite shutdown began on March 8 at midnight with an announcement that emergency services would be exempt, no medical services were allowed to move freely on Tuesday night in Kangpokpi district.
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Manipur police reported that only one vehicle was allowed to travel on NH 102 amid tight security.
Over 500 commercial vehicles carrying essential items are now stranded in the Senapati district, adjacent to Kangpokpi.
The Kuki-Zo Council is reportedly protesting against the government’s “free movement” on National Highways passing through Manipur until a political solution is reached.
Normal life in the hill areas, predominantly inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people, has been reportedly crippled, though activities in the valley districts have remained relatively unaffected.