Sea of protesters, HC order, MHA intervention stall mass burial plan at Torbung Bangla
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2023: Even as a sea of womenfolk gathered at Bishnupur's Torbung area, coupled with an early morning High Court order stopped a planned mass burial of deceased Kukis at an area in Torbung Bangla today, a Muslim woman was hurt in Kuki militants' firing and more than 20 women were hurt in Assam Rifles' action to disperse a crowd.

The Muslim woman who was hurt in Kuki militants' firing has been identified as Aribam Wahida Bibi (35), wife of A Abdul Barik of Kwakta Ward No 5 .

She was taken to Moirang CHC and then referred to Raj Medicity later.

Sea of protesters, HC order, MHA intervention stall mass burial plan at Torbung Bangla

She was preparing vegetables at her home when a bullet struck her left hand.

The Kuki militants' attack on civilians at Kwakta and Terakhongsangbi area came at around 4.30 pm.

During the day, a large number of womenfolk from all over had gathered at Bishnupur's Phougakchao Ikhai and Tronglaobi area since yesterday to protest a proposed mass burial of deceased Kuki "militants" at Torbung Bangla.

Several media reports said there was a plan to bury at least 35 bodies at Torbung which drew strong opposition from the Meiteis.

While the womenfolk planned to proceed towards Torbung Bangla, a large number of Assam Rifles and other Central security forces blocked them at Phougakchao Mayai Leikai area near Kangvai Bazar.

As the number of the protesters grew manifold, at around 8 am, the Assam Rifles personnel and the Central Security forces fired live rounds, tear gas shells and smoke bombs to disperse the crowd.

While tear gas shells hit and injured some women, some fell on the ground during the commotion.

Sources said at least 20 women have been hurt.

They have been taken to different hospitals in Bishnupur and Imphal.

The Central security forces then arranged layers of blockades using military and other vehicles on the road.

While all these were taking place, Kuki militants from Phougakchao Ikhai Awang Leikai and Kwakta fired several rounds of bullets towards Meitei settlements resulting in a gunfight with Manipur police commandos.

Sporadic gunfights took place at several places in the border area between Bishnupur and Churachandpur.

Indian Express reports from CCpur : Three months after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur, the burial of 35 Kuki-Zomi people sparked tensions along the border of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts on Thursday, with intermittent firing continuing into the evening.

More than 140 people have been killed in the conflict, and a large number of bodies continue to lie unclaimed in three mortuaries in the State � in JNIMS and RIMS in Imphal, and the Churachandpur District Hospital.

This is primarily because either side has not been able to travel to areas dominated by the other community.

While 35 of the bodies in the morgue in Churachandpur are of people from the Kuki-Zomi community, who are dominant in the area, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum had directed families to not claim those bodies.

This was aimed to pressure the State Government into ensuring the bodies stored in Imphal are transported to Churachandpur.

Earlier this week, however, the ITLF announced that the 35 would be buried on August 3 in a "final tribute to the tribal martyrs".

The location where the burial was proposed to be held is in Torbung, an area at the border of the Kuki-Zomi dominated Churachandpur district and the Meitei dominated Bishnupur district.

Significantly, Torbung is also where violence first broke out on May 3 before spreading to other parts of the State.

This choice of location set off alarms among security personnel and the Ministry of Home Affairs, with apprehensions of a possible escalation of tensions and violence because of the contested nature of the territory.

The night of August 2 and 3 saw meetings taking place into the early hours of the morning among Kuki-Zomi organisations and security authorities and the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the latter pushing the outfits to reconsider the planned programme.

"We asked them not to do it there because it is a contested area.

In the meantime, mobilisation of people was taking place in Bishnupur district in the night, and continued into the morning," said a defence official.

In the meantime, another set of wheels was turning to put a stop to the planned programme.

On Wednesday, an organisation called the International Meeteis Forum filed a PIL in the Manipur High Court to stop Kuki-Zomi organisations from using the location as a burial site, stating that it is Government land where a sericulture farm is located.

While the matter was to be placed before the Acting Chief Justice at 10.30 am, a hearing was held at 6 am on Thursday after the Deputy Attorney General requested that the case be taken up urgently, stating that "in and around the land in question, a big mob from both communities have gathered and at any moment, violence may take place" .

The Court directed that status quo of the land in question be maintained till the next date of hearing on August 9, "taking into consideration the potentiality of aggravating the already volatile law and order situation and the possibility of igniting a fresh wave of violence and bloodshed" .

Early on Thursday morning, the ITLF issued a statement that it had decided to delay the burial by five days "on the request of the Home Minister" .

"The MHA had requested us to postpone by a week, telling us that they will let us bury it there then and that they will legalise the use of the land concerned as a burial site," claimed an ITLF leader.

On Thursday morning, instead of the burial, a memorial programme was held for the dead in Churachandpur town.

However, tensions continued to build up on the border of Kangvai district.

A large number of Kuki-Zomi women and armed volunteers moved close to Kangvai during the night, anticipating the approach of large numbers of agitating Meitei people.

Intermittent firing between the two sides began in Kangvai around 7 am, while teargas was also deployed by security personnel to ward off the crowd.

The firing in Kangvai continued till at least 3.30 pm, when The Indian Express was present close to the site.

Firing continued to be reported in Terakhongsanbi in Bishnupur district till 7 pm .