CoTU declares non-cooperation with Senapati SP-led forces in Kangpokpi

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) on Sunday, November 15, declared a non-cooperation movement against all security forces stationed in Manipur's Kangpokpi district that work under the operational command of the Superintendent of Police (SP) of neighbouring Senapati district.

The Kuki-Zo body decided this at a leadership meeting after its latest 48-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi ended on November 14. It also told village volunteers to deploy in all "fringe areas" with immediate effect. And it warned that it would review the free movement of traffic on National Highway 2 (NH-2), and government activities in the district, if the state government does not respond quickly to its charter of demands.

The three resolutions were reported by Northeast Live, India Today NE and the Ukhrul Times, which attributed them to CoTU spokesperson Ng Lun Kipgen.

What CoTU is demanding

The Ukhrul Times described the charter as a five-point list. The reports name these demands:

• removal of Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho;
• "rectification" of police jurisdiction;
• stringent action against the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K, which CoTU accuses of aggression and threats to civilians;
• removal of what it calls an illegal NSCN-IM camp at Huthrong Brigade, Oklong, in Senapati district;
• withdrawal of Central and state forces under the Senapati SP's command from Kangpokpi district.

CoTU calls the charter "sacrosanct", India Today NE reported. Its allegations against the two armed groups have not been independently verified.

Why the Senapati SP is at the centre

The dispute is over who polices the area around Taphou Kuki village, close to the Kangpokpi-Senapati boundary. On November 12, the firing that killed a woman harvesting paddy was centred between Taphou Kuki in Kangpokpi and Kailengjang in Senapati, officials told PTI.

The day after that attack, CoTU spokesperson Kipgen said villagers had sought permission from the Senapati SP to enter the area and had asked for protection for farmers during the harvest, India Today NE reported. He questioned how the attack happened despite security personnel being present. Another CoTU executive member, Lamminlun Singsit, called the deployment a "death trap", according to the same outlet.

Sunday's resolution turns that complaint into a boycott, though the reports did not spell out what non-cooperation will involve on the ground.

What it means for Kangpokpi and NH-2

NH-2, the Imphal-Dimapur highway, runs through the Kangpokpi district headquarters and past Taphou Kuki. It is one of the main road links between the Imphal valley and the rest of the country. Hindustan Times reported earlier this month that protesters had disrupted the highway from October 29, and on November 12 commuters were advised to avoid non-essential travel on it after the firing near Taphou.

Any curb on free movement along NH-2 would hit traffic far beyond Kangpokpi. The volunteer call also puts community members, not just police and central forces, on watch in the district's fringe areas.

None of the three reports carried a response from the state government, the Manipur Police or the Senapati SP.

How the agitation got here

NEInsider has followed the Taphou Kuki case since late October:

• October 28: Paoginlal Hangshing and Tinginlun Chongloi of Taphou Kuki go missing.
• November 1-2: Their bodies are found east of NH-2 along the Senapati-Phaibung Road. Kangpokpi sees clashes, extra forces are deployed and CoTU extends its shutdown (b3abf0).
• November 6: CoTU pauses the shutdown for seven days to give the government time (df2bbf).
• November 9: Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh says the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the case (ba8817).
• November 10: A woman loses a leg in a suspected landmine blast near Bazaghari, and CoTU blames the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K (cd3813).
• November 12: Kimneineng Chongloi is shot dead while harvesting paddy near Taphou Kuki and two farmers are wounded (593ddc). CoTU calls a 48-hour shutdown and demands the withdrawal of forces under the Senapati SP.
• November 15: The non-cooperation resolutions.

A tense week across the hills

Naga groups are also mobilising. A 24-hour statewide strike called by the Native People's Committee, Manipur, and other groups over the killing of four Tangkhul Naga civilians in the Ukhrul ambush began at midnight on Sunday (8f3685). On Monday, the Joint Tribe Council plans the funeral of six Naga men abducted in May and killed in Kangpokpi district (e09fae).

What to watch

CoTU set no deadline for the NH-2 review. Watch for talks between the government and CoTU, any change to police jurisdiction around Taphou Kuki, and NIA arrests in the killing of the two youths. NEInsider will update this story when the government or police respond.