Manipur Unrest: Mass burial plan put on hold after Home Ministry talks
Manipur, August 03: In Manipur, a region in northeastern India, a mass burial ceremony for the tribal victims of a three-month-long ethnic clash was scheduled to take place in the districts of Churachandpur and Bishnupur. However, the burial event was put on hold due to an announcement by community members about engaging in talks with the Union Home Ministry. Prior to the planned event, security measures had been intensified in the two districts to ensure the safety of the attendees and prevent any potential violence.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) revealed that they had a lengthy meeting until the early hours of the morning, discussing a new development related to the burial plan. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had requested the community to delay the burial for an additional five days.
In exchange for complying with this request, the government promised to legalise the land where the burial was intended to take place. Interestingly, the request for the postponement also came from the Mizoram Chief Minister.
The ITLF outlined their conditions for considering the delay. They demanded a written assurance from the MHA on five key points. Firstly, they wanted the burial site to be legally recognised. Secondly, they sought the assurance that state forces dominated by the Meitei community would not be deployed in the hill districts, guaranteeing the safety of the Kuki-Zo communities.
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Thirdly, they requested the bodies of Kuki-Zo community members, currently in Imphal, to be transported to Churachandpur since the burial would be postponed. Fourthly, they demanded an acceleration of their political demand for complete separation from Manipur. Lastly, they asked for the transfer of tribal jail inmates in Imphal to other states for their protection.
Ginza Vaulzong, the spokesperson for the ITLF, conveyed their stance to NDTV, highlighting that if the written assurances were not received before the scheduled program, the burial would proceed as originally planned. However, if the MHA provided the necessary assurances, the mass burial would be postponed, and other aspects of the program would continue.
The intended mass burial was intended to occur at S Boljang, near Haolai Khopi in Churachandpur district. It was planned to include 35 bodies, some of which had been kept in the morgue for almost three months.
While a large gathering of tribal members was expected to attend the mass burial event, it faced opposition from Meitei civil society groups. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) was among those questioning the decision. They urged the Kuki community to perform last rites for those killed in their native villages instead of creating a mass grave in the abandoned Meitei villages. COCOMI's spokesperson, Khuraijam Athouba, criticized the Kuki leaders, accusing them of playing politics with the deceased and asserting that such an action could exacerbate the already strained relations between the communities.
The conflict between the Meitei majority, who are predominantly Hindu, and the Kuki minority, who are mainly Christian, has resulted in at least 120 deaths since May, with potential for an even higher number. Land and public job competition have been identified as reasons behind the violence. Rights activists have accused local leaders of fueling ethnic divisions for their political gains.
Despite local authorities' denial of such allegations, the crisis has caused a destructive cycle of revenge attacks, including killings and destruction of homes, churches, and temples, further deepening the divisions between the two communities. The situation remains tense and complex, requiring careful handling and constructive dialogue to foster lasting peace and understanding.
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- With inputs from agencies
