Manipur not a resting place of dead foreigners : Retd Judge
'Set up Kukiland somewhere else'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2023: Accusing the Central Government of deliberately ignoring the hostilities of armed Kuki foreigners and militants against the Meiteis, retired Session Judge Aribam Noutuneshwari has asked the Central Government to establish Kukiland and bury the remains of slain Kukis in Gujarat which is the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah instead if they love Kukis so dearly.

Addressing a press briefing organised by Citizens for Justice (CFJ) at Manipur Press Club today, Noutuneshwari urged the Government to properly verify the bodies of Kukis at the morgues of RIMS and JNIMS.

Manipur not a resting place of dead foreigners : Retd Judge

Significantly the Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta had submitted before the Supreme Court on August 1 that most of the unclaimed bodies are those of the infiltrators who came to India with certain agenda.

A large mob had yesterday gathered at JNIMS and RIMS late in the evening following rumours that the bodies lying at the morgues would be clandestinely taken for burial.

If there is/are any illegal foreigner(s) among the dead Kukis at the morgues then they shouldn't be buried in Manipur but send them to their native places, the retired Session Judge added.

Urging the Government to verify if there are corpses of Meiteis at Churachandpur district hospital and hand them over to their families, Noutuneshwari claimed that there are report of FIRs being registered at Churachandpur police on Meiteis being killed by Kuki militants as natural and accidental deaths.

She further urged the Government to ascertain the number of missing Meitei people amid the ongoing conflict.

If Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga cares for Kuki people then why don't he be generous and let the slain Kukis be buried in his State, Noutuneshwari said.

She went on to state that the demand to transfer the Kukis in different jails of Manipur to other States is unacceptable.

Noutuneshwari also asked the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to allow the establishment of Kukiland and bury the slain Kukis in Gujarat instead and solve all the problems since they 'love Kukis so much' .

Chairperson of CFJ Advocate Khaidem Mani said that the Supreme Court had flagged the 'complete lawlessness' during the recent hearing on Manipur violence and blamed the Government for it.

He asked why the BJP Government is not taking up any action against its own MLA Paolienlal Haokip who voiced for creation of three Union Territories by disintegrating Manipur to solve the crisis.

Some sections of Kukis trying to hold a mass burial programme at Torbung Bangla is unfortunate, Kh Mani continued.

Claiming that Kuki militants and their associates have been engaging in different forms of illegal activities to disintegrate Manipur and fulfil their other demands, he asked why some Kukis always stick to illegal activities such as poppy plantations, encroachment on reserved and protected forest and bringing in immigrants illegally.

All communities in Manipur want implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State other than Kukis, Kh Mani alleged.

All these Kukis who are waging a war must be booked under NSA, he demanded.

Why is the BJP not taking up any action against its seven MLAs who are among the 10 Kuki MLAs who publicly demanded disintegration of the State, he asked.

If there still are laws in Manipur then the Government must exercise it, Kh Mani continued and added that the Manipur Government however is toothless now and cannot do anything other than simply watch the onslaught of Kukis.