On Friday, a tribal group imposed an economic blockade in the Kuki-Zo areas of Manipur to protest against the alleged actions of security forces towards women in a village in Kangpokpi district, officials reported.

Another organisation, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), observed a 24-hour shutdown in the district to protest the alleged baton charge on women that took place on December 31 in Saibol village. In protest of "disregard for tribal rights and dignity," the Kuki-Zo Council, a tribal council, said that the economic blockade, which began at midnight on January 2, would last until two in the morning on Saturday. The organisation stated that during the blockade, vehicle movement and the transportation of essential goods through areas inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people would be limited.

Henlienthang Thanglet, the head of the tribal organisation, stated in Churachandpur that the Kuki Zo Council would step up its protest if the ladies hurt in the purported baton charge by security troops were not given compensation. “The incident occurred after the mob tried to disrupt the deployment of a combined team of Army, BSF and CRPF,” the police had said in a post on X. "The economic blockade will be reimposed if the government fails to maintain the buffer zone's sanctity which is in the hands of the administration," he said. The buffer zone is a neutral area designed to separate the groups from the warring Kuki and Meitei communities.

The council also expressed its support for the complete shutdown called by CoTU in Kangpokpi district. According to a CoTU spokesperson, the protest did not "elicit a positive response from the government," despite the tribal organisation observing a 12-hour stoppage starting at 2:00 pm on Thursday. "The committee is now observing a 24-hour shutdown," he said. The central forces' presence at Saibol was deemed "unnecessary and provocative" by the tribal organisation, which also called for their immediate departure. A sit-in protest was held near the Moreh Youth Club office in Tengnoupal on December 31, demanding action against the alleged mistreatment of Kuki Zo women by security forces. Since May of last year, ethnic violence in Manipur has resulted in over 250 deaths and left thousands of people homeless.