Kuki leader’s house burnt in Manipur after highway blockade lifted

The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) leader and spokesperson, Seilen Haokip’s house in Manipur’s Churachandpur district was burnt down a day after the blockade on the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) was lifted.

On Sunday, the KNO and United People’s Front (UPF) had jointly announced the lifting of the blockade on the highway, considered to be the lifeline of Manipur, keeping in view Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s “deep concern to restore peace and harmony in the state and alleviate the plight of people in general”.

Police suspect that a small section of the people belonging to the Kuki-Zomi community, who did not support the withdrawal of the blockade, might be involved in the incident that took place on Monday night.

Haokip told the media that there was no one inside his residence in Songpi when “some miscreants set fire to the house".

After 54 days, movement of vehicles carrying essentials resumed along the NH-2.

After the blockade was imposed by various organisations in the wake of the ethnic violence in Manipur that erupted on May 3, Manipur was fully dependent on the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) through southern Assam in procuring essentials, food grains, transport fuels, life-saving drugs and other materials from other states of the country.

According to Haokip, the decision to lift the blockade was taken after wide-ranging consultations with various civil society organisations, village chiefs, youths and women leaders.

The recurring violence has led to loss of over 100 lives and destruction of property besides thousands of people being displaced.

(With IANS inputs)