Kuki bodies dismayed over SC panel advise on unclaimed bodies
Source: The Sangai Express
Kangpokpi, September 26 2023:
The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes and the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO)-General Headquarters have expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court panel advising Manipur Government to identify the dead bodies at morgues and dispose them of respectfully.
They (KIM and KSO) urged the Supreme Court committee to reconsider its stance by taking into account the actual problems which hinder the identification and claiming of the dead bodies.
Drawing the attention of the committee and the Central Government, the Kuki Inpi Manipur claimed that Manipur is already separated on ethnic lines.
Janghaolun Haokip, the information and publicity secretary of KIM said that it would be impractical for the common people to claim the dead bodies from Meetei dominated areas and vice-versa given the situation in Manipur.
He then urged the Central Government to hand over the mortal remains of Kuki-Zo people being kept at different morgues in Imphal to their respective families so that a proper funeral could be held for them.
Meanwhile, KSO General Headquarters, while conveying its profound dismay against the directive of the SC panel, said that they acknowledge the need for a legal framework to address the problem of unclaimed bodies in a respectful manner.
The ground reality in the valley, however, necessitates an urgent reconsideration of the implications of such a directive, it added.
The KSO claimed that the geographical divide in Manipur hampers the identification and transportation of the deceased by CSOs greatly.
The apex student body in response to the Supreme Court panel directives appealed to the Central Government to return the identified bodies to their respective districts .
On identification, the student body urged the Centre to establish a robust system to ascertain the identity of the unclaimed bodies.
The KSO went on to state that the directive of the Supreme Court panel appears impractical and insensitive and asked the panel to reconsider their stance.