The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered a fresh inquiry and action-taken report into allegations surrounding the prolonged blockade of National Highway-2 (NH-2) in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, a lifeline route whose closure has caused severe humanitarian and economic distress across the state.
The directive comes in response to a petition filed by Asem Roshan Singh on June 25, 2025, and formally received on June 30. The NHRC observed that the grievance points to a complete denial of safe access along NH-2 in the Kangpokpi area, leading to critical shortages of essential goods and growing hardship for people in the valley. The petition also referred to the March 8, 2024, attack on former RIMS Medical Superintendent Dr. Yengkhom Mohen Singh and his team, who came under assault despite travelling with official escort, describing the incident as a failure of the state to ensure secure movement.
The Commission noted that an earlier report from the Superintendent of Police, Imphal West, submitted on September 4, 2025, stated that no such incident took place within its jurisdiction. It clarified instead that the attack occurred near Gamphiphai under Kangpokpi district police. Following this clarification, the NHRC directed its Registry to forward the complaint to the District Magistrate-cum-Collector of Kangpokpi district and the Superintendent of Police, Kangpokpi district, instructing both authorities to conduct a fresh inquiry and submit an action-taken report within two weeks. The Commission further ordered that complete and additional reports sought in the matter be submitted on or before January 4, 2026, and reiterated that all communications must be uploaded through the HRCNet Portal, as reports sent by email may not be entertained.
The petition, filed under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, underscores the humanitarian crisis unfolding due to the year-long closure of NH-2, the state’s primary supply route connecting Imphal to Dimapur. It states that the blockade has resulted in widespread shortages, inflated prices, and near-complete disruption of daily life, particularly affecting economically weaker sections, students, patients, job seekers, truckers, small traders, and daily wage earners. The petitioner argues that the situation amounts to a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 19(1)(d), and 21 of the Constitution and highlights the breakdown of law and order in Kangpokpi district through repeated incidents of intimidation, abduction, and targeted harassment.
Given the near impossibility of road travel, the petition also seeks interim relief in the form of a subsidized emergency airfare scheme for civilians compelled to travel by air to Guwahati or Kolkata because of the ongoing blockade. The plea calls upon the NHRC to direct the Government of Manipur and the Ministry of Home Affairs to restore safe passage along NH-2, remove unlawful obstructions, ensure accountability, and uphold constitutional rights by reinstating free and secure movement along the national highway.
