Tensions Rise in Manipur as NH-2 Blockade Continues

 Essential Supplies Choked

Report By Y-Trendz

Imphal/Kangpokpi, July 3, 2026 — Manipur is once again on edge as a prolonged blockade along National Highway-2 (NH-2), the lifeline connecting Imphal to Dimapur in neighbouring Nagaland,

continues to disrupt the movement of food, fuel, and medicines into Kuki-Zo inhabited areas. What began as scattered checkpoint restrictions nearly two months ago has now snowballed into a full-blown humanitarian and law-and-order crisis, with civil society groups, security forces, and the state administration locked in an increasingly volatile standoff.

Protest Intensifies at Gamgiphai

The latest flashpoint emerged in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, where the Kuki-Zo community, under the banner of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), has launched a round-the-clock, indefinite protest at the Gamgiphai Buffer Zone. The agitation follows a tense confrontation earlier this week when hundreds of Kuki-Zo protesters attempted to march from Taloulong toward Kanglatongbi, saying they wanted to help reopen the highway themselves after weeks of official inaction. Security forces blocked the procession, and when protesters refused to retreat, tear gas shells and smoke bombs were fired to disperse the crowd. Several demonstrators then staged a sit-in directly on the tarmac of NH-2, demanding an end to what they describe as unauthorised checkpoints allegedly set up by Naga groups along both NH-2 and NH-37.

Community leaders have since resolved that the protest at Gamgiphai will not be called off until the government guarantees unrestricted civilian movement and uninterrupted delivery of essential goods along the highway. In a pointed and somewhat unusual move, protesters have themselves begun restricting the passage of civilian vehicles — including those carrying essential commodities — through the buffer zone, exempting only ambulances, verified emergency medical transport, and security convoys. The tactic appears designed to pressure both the state government and rival groups into acting, even as it risks deepening the very shortages it protests against.

A Two-Month-Old Crisis With Deep Roots

The blockade's origins trace back nearly two months, when CoTU and allied organisations first accused Naga volunteer groups of erecting checkpoints that, while described by the other side as mere "vehicular checks," have in practice choked off the flow of goods into Kuki-inhabited areas. Tensions escalated sharply in mid-June after a 48-hour ultimatum issued by CoTU to dismantle the checkpoints expired without action from state or central authorities. In a strongly worded statement, the tribal body declared it could no longer be held responsible for any fallout, citing "deep frustration over official inaction" and warning that supplies of food, fuel, and medicine in Kuki-Zo areas were rapidly depleting.

The unrest has been further inflamed by a string of violent incidents. The killing of three pastors in Kangpokpi district in mid-May, followed by the abduction and subsequent recovery of the bodies of six individuals near a Kuki-Zo village in June, has hardened positions on the ground. Apex bodies such as the All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) have rejected recent official statements on these killings as falling short of a genuine apology or acknowledgment of wrongdoing, while Kuki organisations maintain that emotions triggered by the pastors' killing directly fed into the subsequent cycle of retaliation and blockade.

Fragile Truces, Repeated Breakdowns

This is not the first time NH-2 has been throttled this year. In a pattern that has now repeated itself, the apex Kuki body Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) had earlier announced the lifting of an economic blockade after receiving government assurances that food grains and essential commodities would be restored to affected regions within 48 hours. That truce, however, appears to have broken down, with fresh restrictions returning within weeks — underscoring how fragile the state's peace arrangements remain more than three years after ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities first erupted in May 2023.

Government Response Awaited

As of Friday, the Manipur government has not issued an official response to CoTU's latest allegations regarding the Naga checkpoints, nor has it announced fresh measures to guarantee the safe passage of essential supplies. Manipur Police remain heavily deployed around Kangpokpi and the Gamgiphai buffer zone to maintain order, and the situation is being closely monitored by security agencies given the highway's strategic importance as a supply route into the state's hill districts.

With shortages mounting and civil society patience wearing thin, pressure is building on both state and central authorities to broker a durable resolution before the standoff spirals into a wider law-and-order breakdown.

This report is based on developments reported as of July 3, 2026, and the situation remains fluid.