Guwahati: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a civil society organization based in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district of Manipur, has called for an emergency shutdown on National Highway -37 (NH-37) on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The shutdown has been called to commemorate the fifth month of the “ethnic cleansing drive” sponsored by the Manipur state government, according to CoTU media cell head Thanglenmang Kipgen.
The CoTU has also served the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) a 48-hour ultimatum, urging it to direct the central agencies to immediately release all Kuki-Zo persons who have been arrested and to initiate investigations into “Meitei criminals” and convict them for the sake of natural justice.
If there is a failure on the part of the MHA to heed the voices of fair intervention and there is a lapse of 48 hours, then CoTU will impose an indefinite shutdown in the entire Kangpokpi district, the ultimatum stated.
The CoTU condemned the attempt of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) to bring “one-sided justice” and said the arrest of four Kuki-Zo persons at the Leimatak area and the arrest of Seiminlun Gangte is a clear indication of the partisan attitude of the MHA to support the false narrative of the valley chief minister in a conflict-torn state.
The CoTU also demanded the arrest of the officials and other personnel involved in the looting of 6,000 arms and six lakh ammunition from the state arsenal. The organization also demanded the Central government to book the culprits with relevant punishment regarding the gut-wrenching incident of the paraded victims and deliver immediate justice, to book the culprits involved in the rape and murder of two Kuki-Zoo girls.
It further demanded to book the culprits of the immolation of a 7-year-old boy and his mother who were burnt alive in an ambulance.
The CoTU demanded the arrest of Kishan Shoram and state commandos involved in the massacre of three Kuki-Zo persons at the Kangchup area and to arrest of Meirembam Romesh Mangang and his gang for beheading David Thiek. The CoTU claimed that they could produce photographic evidence in connection with both incidents.
The CoTU has appealed to the people of Kangpokpi district and other parts of Manipur to cooperate with the shutdown and to support their demands for justice.