Along national highway 2 Kuki groups lifted blockade temporarily

Imphal: Kuki groups have decided to temporarily remove roadblocks on National Highway 2 connecting Manipur’s capital Imphal with Nagaland’s Dimapur.

Kuki groups in Manipur said the temporary lifting of blockades along National Highway 2 was a “goodwill gesture”.
The decision to temporarily lift the blockade came hours after the Kuki groups appealed to the people of Manipur to lift the blockade by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Union Home Minister had made the appeal “so that food, medicine, petrol/diesel and other essential items can reach the people of Manipur”.
Since violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, Kuki groups have blocked National Highway 2 in the state’s tribal-majority Kangpokpi district, considered a lifeline for the people of the state.

However, the Kuki groups’ temporary lifting of the blockade came with some conditions.

Kuki groups said only vehicles carrying essential goods, guarded by central forces, would be allowed to pass through.
Additionally, the blockade will remain suspended for only four hours daily from 10 am to 2 pm.

The Kuki groups also warned the government that the “spirit of goodwill” to lift the blockade would be suspended if villages belonging to the community were further “targeted by armed Meitei miscreants”.
The MHA constituted a 3-member inquiry panel
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a committee to probe the large-scale violence in Manipur since May 3.

Former Guwahati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lamba will head the three-member committee set up by the MHA to probe the violence in Manipur.
The MHA panel will also include Himanshu Shekhar Das, retired IAS officer and Aloka Prabhakar, retired IPS.

Notably, Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 following clashes between two communities in the state and subsequent widespread violence.

Around 100 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced in the state following the clashes and subsequent violence.