Mortal remains of 23 victims laid to rest
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, December 15 2023: Kangpokpi district witnessed a 12-hour total shutdown, hoisting of black flags and mourning during the mass burial ceremony of bodies of Kuki-Zo people who were killed in the ongoing ethnic violence in the state that broke out since May 3.In all, 23 bodies including four untraceable/missing persons were given a decent and honourable burial on Friday at Martyrs' Cemetery in Phaijang village of Kangpokpi district.

Altogether, 58 Kuki-Zo people have been killed in the ongoing violence till date, of which 22 bodies had already been buried earlier, four remain untraceable/ missing and 13 bodies transferred to Churachandpur district as requested by their families while 19 bodies were flown home on Thursday from Imphal.

The bodies of 7-year-old Tonsing Hangshing and his mother Meena Hangshing along with a Meetei woman Lydia Lourembam were among the 23 bodies buried on Friday.

The mass burial ceremony held under the theme, "You Sacrifice Your Today For Our Tomorrow" was organised under the aegis of the Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills with the attendance of thousands of people from across the district.

Many houses in the Kuki majority district hoisted black flags as markets and business establishments were closed and public transport was off the roads following a 12-hour shutdown called by the COTU to mark it as mourning day.

On Thursday, 60 bodies were airlifted to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts after being shifted from the morgues of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences and the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.

Kuki Inpi Manipur, Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association, and various other civil society organisations and Kuki-Zo prominent leaders also attended the mass burial ceremony.

Condolence ceremony and gun salute to the martyred Kuki-Zo people were conducted by Kuki-Zo volunteers under the aegis of CoTU Defence Department.

Apart from the CSO leaders, the victim's family members also spoke during the solemn event.

CoTU Information and Publicity secretary Thangtinlen Haokip thanked the Supreme Court as the Kuki-Zo victims could be finally put to rest.

He also thanked the IGAR South and 22 AR on behalf of the Kuki-Zo people of Kangpokpi for the transportation of the bodies.

Thangtinlen Haokip also said that CoTU is extremely thankful to the public for supporting them in times of grief by complying with restrictions imposed during the 12-hour total shutdown.

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