In a move to restore safe and free movement in Manipur, a trial run of passenger vehicles on the Imphal-Senapati stretch of National Highway 2 started on Saturday. The vehicles were escorted by the state police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), with drivers and assistants from communities other than Meitei and Kukis.
Sources said no occupants from the warring Meitei and Kuki communities were on board, as the initiative marks a gradual effort to reopen NH-2 for movement.
According to reports, a convoy of eight vehicles, escorted by the police and the Border Security Force (BSF), left Kangpokpi towards Imphal at 6.15 am and reached Bir Tikendrajit International Airport by 7.30 am.
The convoy was scheduled to return from Imphal airport to Kangpokpi via P Khullen Village, a Naga-inhabited area, around 4.30 pm.
Another convoy of eight vehicles, also escorted by police and BSF personnel, travelled from Awang Sekmai towards Senapati, passing through Kangpokpi at 8 am. Both convoys carried no passengers.
The development comes weeks after the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) agreed to reopen NH-2 for free movement of commuters and essential goods, following the extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact on September 3, 2025.
However, the KZC later clarified that it has not allowed unrestricted movement, stating that it is cooperating with central security forces along the Kangpokpi stretch of NH-2 but will not fully reopen the highway to Meitei individuals until a resolution to the ethnic conflict is reached.
The KZC had said no individual from either community should cross the designated "buffer zones" until a settlement is achieved.
