Imphal, July 29 | EKHON: The Working Committee of Joint Tribal Council (JTC)-Manipur (WC-JTCM) on Wednesday announced an indefinite shutdown of National Highways, railway services, and national infrastructure projects passing through the territories of the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Zeme communities, alleging government inaction over the killings of six Naga civilians and condemning a security operation in Bitiang Village by personnel of the Cobra unit.
In a statement, the organisation said the shutdown would take immediate effect and continue until the Government of India takes what it described as decisive action to arrest those responsible for the alleged killings, halt security operations against Naga villages, and address its demands for justice and security.
The committee alleged that six Naga civilians, including two pastors, were abducted on May 13, 2026, from near Leilon Vaiphei village and later killed. It accused armed Kuki militants of carrying out the attack and criticised authorities for allegedly failing to bring those responsible to justice. These allegations could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate official response from the government or security agencies.
WC-JTCM also alleged that personnel of the Cobra unit, acting in coordination with ZUF-J, launched an operation against members of the Naga Volunteer Groups (NVG) at Bitiang Village at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. The organisation claimed the volunteers were guarding their villages when they came under attack.
Describing the developments as a betrayal of Naga communities, the committee said it had decided to intensify its protest through the shutdown, which it said would affect highways, railway operations and national development projects in the specified Naga-inhabited areas.
However, the organisation said essential services, including medical facilities, schools and colleges, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) services, electricity and telecommunications, would remain exempt from the shutdown.
The committee said the protest would remain in force until its demands were met, while urging the Government of India to intervene and restore peace and justice in the region.
