Total shutdown of Imp-Ukl road announced

Our Correspondent
KANGPOKPI, Mar 13 : Condemning the killing of two Kuki men whose bodies were recovered yesterday morning, the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul has announced a total shutdown along the Imphal-Ukhrul Road until their demands are fulfilled.
The Committee has refused to claim the mortal remains of Thenkhogin Baite and Thangboimang Lunkim until the perpetrators are identified, arrested and awarded capital punishment.
Raising concerns over the security of Kuki villagers in Ukhrul district, the Committee has also demanded relocation of all Kuki villages in Ukhrul to Kangpokpi district to ensure the safety and protection of its people.
Additionally, it has demanded the case to be registered and investigated by Saikul or Kangpokpi police, stating that the Kuki community has lost faith in the Ukhrul police.
Seeking a transparent and impartial investigation, the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul also called for the case to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
It called upon the Central Government to take swift and decisive action to deliver justice, urging authorities to demonstrate the same urgency shown during the abduction of the 21 Tangkhul travellers by the administration led by Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
The bodies of the two Kuki men were reportedly taken to Imphal for post-mortem examination on the evening of March 12 under police escort.
According to the Committee, the two men were found "blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs, bearing signs of severe assault with sharp objects before being shot dead".
Their bodies were recovered around 8.30 am on March 12 by a joint search team comprising villagers from Shangkai and Thowai villages, accompanied by personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Committee said.
It has alleged the authorities and security forces of failing to make serious efforts to locate the two missing men, while prioritising the safety and evacuation of the 21 Tangkhul travellers.
It also criticised the explanation that the victims could not be traced due to the absence of mobile phones, calling it an unacceptable lapse as well as absurd at a time when lives were at risk.
"The agitation will continue until justice is delivered", the Committee asserted.