The ongoing protest demanding free movement along Manipur’s national highways faced disruption last night when police dismantled the protest site at Sekmai Bazar. The agitation, jointly launched by Awang Sekmai Kanba Nupi Lup and Imagi Meira with the support of the People’s Progressive Alliance Manipur (PPAM), entered its fifth day today.
According to protest leaders, a police team led by Sekmai Police Station personnel arrived at around 9:45 pm on September 8 and dismantled the makeshift protest site. However, agitators regrouped this morning and resumed their peaceful sit-in demonstration under the banner “Agitation for Free Movement Along the National Highways.”
Protesters alleged that Kuki SoO armed groups continue to exercise control over the state’s lifeline routes, barring Meitei travellers while allowing others unrestricted passage. They strongly condemned what they described as “war crimes” and “genocide by blockade,” and accused the Government of India of acting as a silent spectator to the situation.
Speakers at the protest reiterated that free movement along national highways is a constitutional right and not a privilege to be negotiated. They questioned whether there was an “invisible hand of the Government of India” in enabling Kuki SoO groups to maintain control over highways, warning that such actions undermine both the rule of law and the unity of the state.
Despite the police action, the agitators declared that they would persist with their sit-in until free and safe passage is restored for all communities. They also announced a public meeting at Sekmai Bazar this afternoon at 2 pm to deliberate further steps in the agitation.