New Delhi: Manipur Kangpokpi district is in the midst of a 48-hour shutdown, one of several in the last few weeks announced as tensions and incidents of abduction and attacks escalate in the state. The latest call for a shutdown comes from the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a Kuki-Zomi outfit. The call follows the alleged abduction of two Kuki men and demands their safe and unconditional release, reports the Hindu.Earlier, the Working Committee of Kuki Civil Society Organisations had called for a shutdown from midnight on Sunday (October 18) to midnight on Thursday (October 22) after a series of attacks on villages near the India-Myanmar border in the Kamjong district.The Native People’s Committee Manipur (NPCM) had also called a 48-hour shutdown in the Imphal Valley in protest against the killing of the three Meitei men on October 19.In July, an over month-long Naga blockade was triggered by the killing of six civilians, allegedly by Kuki groups, choking supplies and escalating tensions between communities.Also read: Rs 250 Petrol, Rs 5,000 LPG Cylinders: Kangpokpi Pays the Price of Manipur’s Latest BlockadeA week ago, a report in the Hindustan Times had pointed out that for the first time since the Meitei–Kuki conflict erupted in 2023, Meitei Hindus and Meitei Pangals had clashed in the state in mid-October, leading to one death and several houses set on fire. Three Meitei men were separately gunned down on Monday (October 19), marking the beginning of a strife-prone month.Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen had at the time issued a statement asking all communities to remain calm while also condemning the killing of a civilian in P. Molding village in Kangpokpi on Tuesday (October 20). She has issued several such condemnations over the month.Also read: Nine Killed in Fresh Violence in Manipur, Over a Dozen Houses Set AblazeNot long ago, at least eight MLAs of Manipur belonging to Naga tribes had asked Home Minister Amit Shah to “immediately abrogate” the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with Kuki-Zo armed groups in the state, pointing the finger of blame at Kipgen’s husband, Thangboi Kipgen.Losii Dikho, who is also a deputy chief minister of Manipur, has now joined the outcry against Thangboi Kipgen. The latest reports from Manipur say he has accused Thangboi Kipgen of being behind the killings of the Naga community this year.Dikho told reporters on Wednesday (October 28) that he had “no doubt” about the role of the the Kuki National Front (KNF), a group Thangboi Kipgen is said to lead.Dikho’s Naga People’s Front (NPF) has five seats in the Assembly and the Bharatiya Janata Party has 37. NPF is part of the alliance government in Manipur and also part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).Nemcha Kipgen has earlier denied allegations that Thangboi had colluded with militants.The organisation is among the armed groups that covered by the SoO between the central government, the Manipur government and the Kuki Armed Organisations. The SoO pacts were extended on September 4, 2025.Also read: Manipur: 41 Houses Belonging to Naga Residents, Including Churches, Burnt in KangpokpiArmed groups have been reported as involved in shootings, hostage-taking, arson and highway blockades in parts of Manipur through 2026.The SoO agreements now require transfers between camps, mandatory double-locking of weapons and mandatory Aadhaar cards for members of these groups. The primary goal of these agreements is to find a political solution for the Manipur crisis within the framework of the constitution.The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the kidnapping and murder of six Naga men during the hostages between Nagas and Kuki communities during the May-June in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts.Since late September, Naga–Kuki skirmishes have increasingly come to light, including 17 houses razed in Makui Chamriupui, eight in Makui Thanamba and 16 in Makui Thebram in Kangpokpi. Houses were also burnt in Naga villages Langka, Thanamba, Kapningching and Tajeikaiphun.Earlier on September 15, unidentified gunmen shot dead two Kuki women in Tamenglong district, just two days after four Kuki people, two of whom were women, were killed in two attacks by suspected militants in Manipur’s Tamenglong and Noney districts.