Naga CSOs impose bandh in Manipur foothills

Check on movement of Kukis in Naga-inhabited foothill regions of Manipur has begun after indefinite bandh imposed by Manipur Naga based CSO commenced on Saturday to opposed the construction of German or Tiger Road.
Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) imposed the indefinite bandh on the movement of Kukis within the foothill regions of Naga-inhabited areas, effective from midnight of July 18, 2025.
While restricting movement of Kukis, The FNCC intensified their objection to the proposed alleged unauthorized construction of a road known as German or Tiger Road connecting Kuki dominated Churachandpur with Kangpokpi districts initiated voluntarily by Kuki based CSOs to connect the two major Kuki dominated districts without touching the valley areas.
However, the proposed road has to pass through areas inhabited by the various tribes within the Naga fold.
The FNCC, while raising the strong objection, alleged people of the Naga-inhabited areas through which the proposed road is to be constructed were not consulted nor prior consent was obtained.
Supporting FNCC’s strike, villagers of various villages came out onto the roads in their respective areas and enforced the bandh at Makhan in Kangpokpi district, Tongjei Maril (Old Cachar Road), Dolang Chiru, Tupul to Noney Road, Tupul-Noney junction, and along the Longsai-Khoupum Road.
While enforcing the bandh, the supporters checked vehicles to find out of any person belonging to the Kuki tribes was among the occupants. The supporters used logs, stones, and temporary barricades while enforcing the bandh.
While calling for the indefinite bandh call, the FNCC also raised their demand – dismantling of designated camps of Kuki militants under suspension of operations truce in or close to Naga-inhabited areas and checking widespread deforestation for poppy cultivation.
The FNCC, in the statement declaring the indefinite bandh, strongly condemned the alleged encroachment by Kuki groups in the foothill areas traditionally inhabited and owned by various Naga tribes. The committee alleged that these attempts were part of a broader strategy to alter traditional land demarcations and undermine the historical and ancestral claims of the Nagas.
The CSO asserted that the illegal settlement efforts are not only a violation of indigenous land rights but also a direct challenge to the identity and existence of the Naga people in the region.
The FNCC sponsored bandh got the support from various Manipur Naga based CSOs. Eastern Liangmai Naga Chief Chairman Association (ELNCCA), while supporting the bandh, expressed deep concerns over what it calls deliberate land encroachment and security threats in Indigenous Naga territories.
The association, in a statement, said it was alarmed by the attempts to rename roads and places within Naga ancestral lands.
These actions, it claimed, are being carried out without public consultation or indigenous consent and are allegedly influenced by “certain Kuki elements and complicit government agencies.”
The association condemned such acts as violations of the historical, cultural, and territorial rights of the Naga people, the statement added.
Citing historical precedent, the ELNCCA stated that Naga ancestors had offered refuge to Kuki communities fleeing Burma in a spirit of Christian compassion. However, this gesture has been “misused” over the years, ELNCCA stated while alleging land encroachments by Kuki groups into Naga territories was a “betrayal of trust” and “territorial aggression.”
The association also urged certain Kuki organizations, including the Young Kuki and the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), to refrain from making provocative statements that could destabilize peace in the region.
It warned that past provocations have resulted in avoidable tensions and makeshift reconciliations.