Kamjong: The Kuki CSO Working Committee, Kamjong District has expressed deep concern over the prolonged economic hardship faced by the Kuki community due to an economic embargo allegedly imposed by the Tangkhul community in Kamjong District. In a press communique bearing Reference No. KCSO/KMJ/PR-08/2026 and dated 14/09/2026, the committee said the Kuki population has been suffering for more than six months and repeated appeals for administrative intervention have failed to yield any satisfactory resolution. The committee has now given a 36-hour deadline to the district administration to act, failing which it will launch an indefinite economic blockade at Chassad.
According to the press statement, the embargo has severely affected the day-to-day life of Kuki villagers in the district. For more than six months, Kuki people have endured serious difficulties in accessing essential commodities, conducting normal economic activities, pursuing their livelihoods, and meeting the basic needs of their families. The restriction on movement from one place to another has caused immense hardship, pain and economic distress. The committee said that despite this prolonged suffering, their repeated requests for intervention have not been addressed by the concerned authorities.
The Working Committee emphasized that throughout this difficult period, it has maintained maximum restraint and has refrained from taking any action that could create unwanted tension or confrontation between the two communities living in Kamjong. The committee said it consciously chose the path of peace and dialogue, hoping that the district administration would step in and resolve the matter amicably. It stated that its approach was guided by a desire to maintain communal harmony and avoid any escalation in the region.
Placing facts on record, the committee clarified that during the entire six-month period of alleged embargo, the Kuki side has not obstructed the movement of Tangkhul individuals along the Chassad route. The communique stated that Tangkhul individuals have continued to travel as and when required and have been able to carry essential economic goods without any obstruction from the Kuki side. This, the committee said, proves its commitment to peaceful coexistence even while its own people were facing hardship.
The statement further noted that the Kuki CSO Working Committee remained patient for six months because it did not want the situation to create further misunderstanding, tension or an unwanted confrontation between the two communities. The leadership said it repeatedly appealed to the Deputy Commissioner, Kamjong District Administration and other concerned authorities to intervene and find a peaceful and lasting solution. However, according to the committee, no effective or concrete steps were taken to address the grievances.
The committee stated that its patience has now reached its limit and it can no longer bear the continued hardship and suffering faced by its people. The economic embargo, if continued, will further cripple the livelihood of Kuki families who depend on daily economic activities, small trade and movement of goods for survival. The prolonged silence of the administration has forced the community to take a firm stand, the committee said.
The matter has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the Deputy Commissioner and District Administration, Kamjong with written and verbal requests to take appropriate action and resolve the situation. However, the press communique alleged that there has been no effective response from the administration till date. This administrative inaction has added to the frustration and sense of neglect felt by the Kuki community in Kamjong District.
The Working Committee also pointed out that various Kuki civil society organisations, including the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Kuki Women Union (KWU), SEKYO and the KUKI CSO WORKING COMMITTEE itself have issued press releases from time to time and repeatedly drawn the attention of the concerned authorities to the prolonged economic embargo and the suffering of the Kuki community. Despite these repeated appeals and public statements, no satisfactory administrative response has been forthcoming, the statement said.
Having exhausted all avenues of repeated appeals and requests for administrative intervention, the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Kamjong District has hereby given the Deputy Commissioner and District Administration 36 hours to initiate concrete and meaningful action towards finding a solution to the prolonged economic embargo. The 36-hour notice period begins from 14th September 2026. The committee warned that if there is no satisfactory response or meaningful intervention within the stipulated time, it will proceed with an indefinite economic blockade at Chassad.
The committee clarified that this decision has not been taken lightly. The community has already suffered for more than six months and has repeatedly sought a peaceful and administrative solution. The proposed blockade is not intended to create confrontation but to draw urgent attention to the grievances of the people and to seek decisive intervention from the district administration. The committee said it still hopes that the administration will act before the deadline expires.
In a significant humanitarian gesture, the Working Committee announced exemption for essential and humanitarian movement from the purview of the proposed economic blockade. The exemption will include patients, ambulances and medical emergencies, essential medical supplies and emergency healthcare-related movement, army convoys and movements, telecom service and electric department personnel and services. The committee urged all concerned to maintain discipline and ensure that the exemption for medical and emergency humanitarian movement is strictly respected by all volunteers and supporters.
Making a final appeal to the District Administration, the committee once again urged the Deputy Commissioner, Kamjong to use the stipulated 36-hour period to take five concrete steps – to immediately intervene in the prolonged economic embargo, to address the grievances repeatedly raised by the Kuki community and its civil society organisations, to initiate dialogue with all concerned stakeholders, to ensure impartial and effective administration, and to take concrete steps towards restoring normal economic activities and resolving the matter permanently.
The Kuki CSO Working Committee reiterated that its objective is to secure a peaceful, fair and lasting solution through effective administrative intervention and dialogue, not confrontation. It therefore earnestly urged the District Administration to act within the stipulated 36 hours and prevent the situation from further deteriorating. The statement was issued by the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Kamjong District, Manipur and copies were marked to the Deputy Commissioner, Kamjong, Commandant of 11 Assam Rifles at Chassad, Superintendent of Police Kamjong, Commander of BSF deployed at Kamjong and SB/SIB Kamjong for information and necessary action.
