Counter-bandh forces CoTU to withdraw bandh
Source: The Sangai Express

Kangpokpi/Imphal, January 28 2026: The total shutdown imposed by CoTU from January 27 midnight along NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam highway) was suspended prematurely after the Naga People's Organisation (NPO) imposed a counter-bandh in Senapati.

CoTU's total shutdown was supposed to continue till January 28 midnight but it was suspended this afternoon.

CoTU imposed the total shutdown in protest against the State Government's continued failure to apprehend the perpetrators identified as the ZUF (Kamson) who allegedly torched the so-called K Songlung village (II) on January 26 .

Notably, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) and United Naga Council (UNC) held a joint meeting at Kangpokpi district headquarters on January 27 over the arson attack on the so-called K Songlung village.

Counter-bandh forces CoTU to withdraw bandh

Denouncing the arson, KIM and UNC called for restraint and appealed to the general public and all stakeholders to maintain peace and to refrain from any form of retaliatory violence.

Decrying that CoTU opted to go ahead with its total shutdown despite the joint statement issued by UNC and KIM, causing serious hardship to Naga commuters, the Naga People's Organisation (NPO) imposed a counter-bandh in Senapati today.

The counter-bandh was lifted later in the day after CoTU suspended its total shutdown.

CoTU stated that after threadbare deliberations within its leadership and consultations with key stakeholders, it resolved to reconsider and suspend the agitation in the larger interest of peace and stability.

"In recognition of the peace process initiated by UNC and KIM, the committee has decided to suspend the 24-hour total shutdown with immediate effect", the committee said.

Earlier in the day, a large number of women-led volunteers were seen enforcing the CoTU-imposed total shutdown at Kangpokpi town and Gamgiphai.

The shutdown resulted in the complete restriction of movement of commercial, private, and passenger vehicles, while volunteers were also seen closely monitoring the movement of emergency services.

All business establishments, private institutions, educational institutions, and other establishments remained completely closed for the day.

Community members were also restricted from engaging in farming and other routine activities during the shutdown.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by NPO said that no humanitarian exemptions were made during the total shutdown imposed by CoTU.

All democratic agitation such as shutdowns, dharnas, rallies, bandhs and blockades are legitimate means to express public dissatisfaction and to draw the attention of the concerned authorities.

At the same time, it is a well established democratic and humanitarian norm that emergency services such as medical services, emergency travel for flights and fire services must always be exempted from the purview of any form of agitation, NPO said.

It decried that the CoTU volunteers failed to ensure any such humanitarian exemption causing severe hardship to the general public.

Even as repeated appeals were made to ensure humanitarian exemptions and public safety, most of these appeals were ignored by CoTU volunteers on the ground, charged NPO.

As a result, many individuals missed their flights causing significant financial, professional and personal losses, raising serious questions of responsibility, it said.

The NPO said that under such circumstances it was compelled to initiate a counter-agitation as an immediate and necessary step to protect the rights, safety and dignity of the general public.

Nearly 99 per cent of commuters on NH-2 belong to Senapati district, making the so-called total shutdown appear, in effect, as a form of targeted harassment of the innocent public of Senapati district, it said.

The NPO has also warned that any agitation which crosses the boundary of humanity by targeting a particular community will never be tolerated under any circumstances.

The NPO also announced the withdrawal of its counter-agitation with immediate effect in the larger interest of social harmony and peace in the region.