A Humanitarian Crisis the Government Is Turning a Blind Eye To

For more than six weeks, Kangpokpi District has remained under an economic chokehold. What began as a blockade has now evolved into a full-blown humanitarian crisis, yet those entrusted with protecting the lives and rights of citizens continue to look the other way.

This is no longer merely about a road. It is about survival.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Essential Supplies Disappear

Life-saving medicines have disappeared from pharmacies. Baby food has become scarce and is being sold at exorbitant prices. LPG cylinders are unavailable. The prices of rice, potatoes, onions, and other essential commodities have soared beyond the reach of ordinary families. Every passing day pushes thousands of innocent civilians deeper into hardship.

The tragedy is not that the Government is unaware. It is fully aware.

The Government of India knows. The Government of Manipur knows. The central security forces know. The state police know.

Yet the blockade continues.

Government Inaction Raises Serious Questions

This raises a question that cannot be ignored: How can a government that commands thousands of security personnel claim helplessness before a blockade that has crippled an entire district for weeks? If the State possesses the capacity to swiftly deploy force against Kuki youth protesting this humanitarian crisis, why does that same resolve disappear when it comes to restoring the free movement of essential commodities?

Strength appears readily available when confronting protesters. It seems strangely absent when innocent civilians are denied food, medicine, and basic necessities.

That contradiction is impossible to ignore.

The Humanitarian Cost of a Prolonged Blockade

Governments derive their legitimacy from their ability to protect citizens without fear or favour. When an entire district is deprived of essential supplies for weeks while authorities remain spectators, people inevitably begin to question whether the State is discharging its constitutional responsibilities equally.

The people of Kangpokpi have exercised remarkable restraint. They have endured shortages, soaring prices, and uncertainty because they understand the terrible cost of another conflict. Their restraint is not a sign of weakness. It is a conscious choice in favour of peace.

But peace cannot survive indefinitely when justice remains absent.

A Humanitarian Crisis Demands Immediate Action

No democratic government should allow any community to endure prolonged deprivation of food, medicine, and essential supplies. A humanitarian crisis is not measured by the number of bullets fired. It is measured by the suffering of ordinary people forced to live without the necessities of life.

How much longer must Kangpokpi wait? How many more patients must search in vain for life-saving medicines? How many more parents must struggle to find food for their children before those in power decide that enough is enough?

Silence is no longer neutrality. Inaction is no longer an administrative failure. When a preventable humanitarian crisis is allowed to persist despite the means to end it, accountability cannot be avoided.

ALSO READ:
From Opposing Muivah to Embracing Him: Why June 18 No Longer Matters

The people of Kangpokpi are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for what every citizen of this country is entitled to: the uninterrupted access to food, medicine, and essential commodities, and the equal protection of the law.

Enough delay. Enough indifference. Enough suffering.

The highway must be reopened. Essential supplies must flow without further obstruction. The Government must act—not tomorrow, not after another review, not after another week of suffering—but now.

Because no government that claims to serve its people can remain a silent spectator while an entire district is pushed into a humanitarian crisis.

The writer tweets at Gunlien