Imphal: Tension resurfaced along National Highway-2 in Manipur on Monday after a rumour about Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen’s travel triggered a blockade at Kanglatongbi and led to protesters mistakenly targeting the convoy of Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho.
The NH-2 connects Imphal with Dimapur through Kohima. Protesters blocked the highway early in the morning by placing boulders and trees on the road, reportedly intending to prevent Nemcha Kipgen from travelling to Imphal Airport.
Kipgen belongs to the Kuki community, while Losii Dikho is a Naga leader.
However, the protesters mistakenly intercepted Dikho’s motorcade. Although the vehicles managed to move through the area, protesters pelted them with stones, damaging two vehicles belonging to the Deputy Chief Minister and the Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me (PNTM).
The PNTM, also known as the Poumai Naga Students’ Union, is the apex student and youth organisation of the Poumai Naga community.
The situation later eased after protesters realised that Dikho had been targeted by mistake and reconciled with the Deputy Chief Minister.
Following the incident, Imphal West SP led a security team to disperse the crowd. A brief confrontation was reported when security personnel attempted to make arrests. State police and Central forces subsequently conducted searches in the area, though no immediate arrests were reported.
Separately, the PNTM reported that vehicles carrying its student leaders were attacked at Namdilong gate in Kanglatongbi. According to the organisation, marked vehicles carrying officials with identity cards were pelted with stones and targeted with catapults.
The PNTM subsequently approached the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, seeking intervention to protect community unity and prevent further escalation.
The Liangmai Naga Council, Manipur (LNC-M), later apologised for the incident, saying there was no intention to disrespect Losii Dikho or the PNTM. The council urged its volunteers not to act on unverified information, particularly amid the tense situation, and appealed to people to remain calm and avoid retaliatory action.
The latest incident comes against a backdrop of recurring tensions between Naga and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur. Recent clashes across hill districts, including Ukhrul, Kamjong and Kangpokpi, have been accompanied by deaths, arson attacks on remote villages and disruptions along key highways.
The incident has once again highlighted the risks posed by unverified rumours in an already volatile security environment, with authorities facing the challenge of preventing further violence and maintaining movement along the Imphal-Dimapur highway.