Supreme Court asks Kuki-Zo, Naga groups to work towards reopening blocked Manipur highways

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked rival groups in Manipur to work towards a comprehensive proposal to reopen national highways blocked amid fresh Naga-Kuki confrontations.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana observed that the continuing blockades were hurting ordinary people and disrupting the supply of essential commodities.

The Court urged the rival sides to look beyond the immediate dispute and find a mechanism to reopen the routes.

“Blocking of highways is not serving anybody’s cause. Hardship is faced by everyone. Why don’t you consider the intervention of some agency, SLA (service-level agreement), or any other platform. You must be tired of this fighting,” said the Court.

The Court was hearing a fresh plea by the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) seeking the removal of a blockade on National Highway-2 (NH-2) and restoration of supplies to Kuki-dominated areas.

NH-2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur in Nagaland, is one of the State's principal supply routes. Along with NH-37, which connects Imphal with Jiribam and onward to Assam, it is a crucial route for bringing goods into the landlocked State.

The present dispute over the highways stems from a fresh Naga-Kuki confrontation that erupted in May this year, with the two communities accusing armed groups from the other side of abducting their members.

According to news reports, on May 13, several civilians were abducted in the Kangpokpi and Senapati districts after a series of attacks. While many were subsequently released, six Naga men remained unaccounted for. Fourteen Kuki civilians were also held captive by Naga groups before being released in June.

The situation escalated after the bodies of the six missing Naga men were recovered on June 10, nearly a month after they went missing. The recovery triggered fresh protests and violence, with Naga organisations demanding action against those responsible.

Subsequently, KWOHR approached the Supreme Court alleging that an economic blockade has been imposed on Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas of Kangpokpi district, disrupting supplies of food, medicines and fuel. The organisation alleged that the blockade has continued since May 17 and attributed it to the United Naga Council.

The dispute has had a direct impact on the movement of goods. A recent report said hundreds of trucks were stranded because of the blockades and counter-blockades, with prices of some essential commodities rising sharply.

While hearing the plea today, the Court pointed out that the problem could not be addressed by reopening only one highway while leaving other routes blocked.

“It can’t be piecemeal that one highway is open and other is not,” said Justice Bagchi.

CJI Kant also stressed the importance of the highways to civilians, observing,

“Highways are the lifeline of the common person.”

The Court expressed concern that any attempt to forcibly remove a blockade could itself trigger further violence.

"That national highway is blocked. In case certain directions are issued by the court, it might lead to violence," it said.

The Bench told the parties that the objective should be to find a solution that ensures that all highways are opened, rather than allowing rival groups to seek relief for their respective communities.

“We want a situation where both of you actively work on ground to ensure that all highways are open,” stated the Court.

Senior Advocate Anand Grover, appearing for KWOHR, submitted that the Kuki militants had lifted their blockade but alleged that Naga militants have not done so.

He said the groups were attacking each other and claimed that the State government was unable to control the situation.

The counsel appearing for a respondent organisation, the International Meitei Organisation, opposed the plea.

"This is a mischievous writ petition. The community of the petitioner (Kuki) is responsible for blocking all national highways for Manipur," he contended.

The Court, however, said that the issue could not be reduced to competing allegations between the communities and directed the parties to come up with a concrete solution.

It allowed the Meitei organisation's application for impleadment.

The Court directed the respondents to provide details of all other highways that remain blocked, along with a proposal on how they could be reopened and made functional.

KWOHR was also asked to submit a comprehensive proposal.

Since the national highways are maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Court said it would implead the authority as a party to the proceedings.

The Court made clear that it was not looking for another round of allegations or a conventional response from the parties.

“We don’t want a counter affidavit. We want a proposal,” said the Court.

It also asked the parties to consider whether the intervention of an independent agency or another platform could help resolve the dispute and restore movement on the highways.

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