Last week, Home Minster Amit Shah declared that free movement should be allowed across all roads in Manipur from March 8. In a state where so many issues remain unresolved, attempts to move a Manipur transport bus was met with opposition. Women blocked the road

but the bus pushed through, only to be stopped 15 Kms ahead at Keithelmanbi, where the highway remains blocked since the afternoon. Mad scenes, just like how the past 22 months have been. This move by the MHA is being termed as provocative, unfair and insensitive by organisations

from the Kuki-Zo community, who feel like they’ve been left in the lurch by the state government and now the central government. The peace rally that was supposed to take off from Imphal were stopped by authorities before they could reach Gamgiphai. At

Gamgiphai, women who’ve mobilised complained of being attacked and manhandled in the morning. Some have been hospitalised with injuries due to tear gas and pellets. Yet, here they are.

The MST bus, which was empty, was not allowed to move beyond Keithelmanbi which is in the hill district of Kangpokpi. Just to set context again, the hill districts are opposed to allowing either such buses or anybody from the Meitei community into the hills, till there is a

response from the central government to their political demands. Meitei organisations such as FOCS on the other hand said they want to go through the hills to see if the home minister “is taken seriously” in Manipur. Many security officials did see this whole free movement

as a setback to their attempts to bring down unrest and violence in the state. Obviously it is what they think, won’t matter to Amit Shah who has been making such proclamations from the first month of the violence. Kind of pathetic to fuel more anxiety among people, really.

As of now, 30+ injured with 16 critical, one shot dead by security personnel.

🇺🇸 New Leadership, New Priorities! The old ways are gone. This administration must step up where others failed. 🦅 🛡️A stronger nation starts with informed citizens. Start your own cyber awareness journey with the CYBERSECURITY DICTIONARY for Everyone: