Women-led groups block six arterial roads in Manipur

There are at least six arterial roads that have been blocked completely.

Women-led vigilante groups have blocked at least six arterial roads in Manipur, rendering the southern part of the State inaccessible to security forces for the past fortnight.  The blocking of key roads at multiple locations — from the valley to the hill districts in the south — has become a new challenge for the security forces in violence-hit Manipur, a defence source said on Thursday.

The lack of adequate numbers of women contingents of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) or the paramilitary in aiding the security forces to handle women protestors is leading to delays in conducting operations and sending reinforcements to affected areas, the source said. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has sent women contingents to Manipur, an official said. 

There are at least six arterial roads that have been blocked completely. They are Bishnupur-Churachandpur; Thoubal-Nangjing; Thoubal-Yairipok; Yairipok-Chandrakong; Kakching-Lamkai, and Uripok-Iroisemba.

“There is a pattern to these blockades. Whenever a village or a property is to be targetted, around 200-300 women block the road. A mob that follows them then carries out the violence. Even if the affected villagers make distress calls, the forces are unable to reach,” the source said.

The source said that on June 12 and 13, when Kuki villages were being burnt by a Meitei mob in Kangpokpi, women protestors blocked the movement of the Army contingent from Imphal to the affected areas. Army personnel marched on foot to reach the affected areas in Kangpokpi district.

The source said two types of blockades were being witnessed — one emanating from the hills to obstruct essential supplies coming into the State, and the other in the valley to stop the security forces from carrying out combing operations. While the National Highway 2 that passes through the hill districts was blocked by Kuki groups, security forces ensured the supply of essential items from National Highway 37, the other axis. In the past one week, around 4,000 trucks carrying essential supplies reached the valley via NH 37. Manipur does not have railway connectivity.

“To comb the foothills and the buffer zones, long patrols of up to 96 hours, are being sent since Wednesday,” the source said. Buffer zones refer to the areas lying between the Kuki dominated hill districts and the Meitei dominated districts in the valley. Another police official said that only Central forces were being deployed in the buffer zones, and since the area is huge, it would take some time for the deployment to be completed.