Guwahati: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, has announced a seven-day suspension of its ongoing total shutdown in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, giving the government a final opportunity to meet its Charter of Demands.
The committee has warned that the shutdown will resume with intensified agitation if the authorities fail to reach an acceptable resolution within this period. It clarified that the temporary suspension does not mean it has withdrawn or softened any of its demands.
The decision follows growing tensions over the abduction of two Kuki youths from Taphou Kuki village on October 28. Their bodies were recovered on November 1, prompting widespread anger and an indefinite shutdown across Kangpokpi district.
CoTU said it had agreed to suspend the shutdown to allow the government time to take concrete steps towards resolving the issues raised in its charter. It added that the government’s actions, rather than verbal assurances, would determine whether the demands were being addressed.
During the seven-day suspension, the committee will continue its agitation through democratic sit-in demonstrations at different locations across the district.
CoTU has also decided not to take custody of the bodies of the two youths, which remain at a morgue, until the government fulfils its Charter of Demands.
The committee said the seven-day period was the government’s final opportunity to address its demands. If no acceptable resolution is reached within the deadline, the shutdown will be resumed along with intensified protest measures.