Imphal: Bodies of 64 people killed in the ongoing ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities were on Thursday airlifted from morgues in Manipur’s capital Imphal were handed over to their family members under tight security put in place by the Manipur Police and the Army’s Assam Rifles unit, officials said.
The bodies of 60 members of the Kuki community, which were kept in the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospitals in Imphal, were airlifted by Indian Air Force helicopters to Kangpokpi and Churachandpur district dominated by the Kuki-Zo community.
Four bodies of Meiteis that were lying at a morgue in Churachandpur district dominated by tribals, were also brought to Imphal and handed over to their next of kin for the last rites, the officials said.
Government officials said 41 of those bodies had been transported to Churchandpur district at the Assam Rifles helipad in four trips. The other 19 bodies were shifted to Motbung in Kangpokpi district.
“They were brought in multiple batches by helicopters from Imphal. The last rites for the victims will take place tomorrow at the martyrs’ memorial cemetery at Phaijang village near Motbung,” Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a civil society group based in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district, said.
Last month, the Supreme Court directed the Manipur government to make proper arrangements for the dignified burial of people who lost their lives in the Manipur violence. The Court also specifically noted that there should be no interference by “third parties” during this process.
The Bench, comprising Chief Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justices J.B.Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, passed directions based on a report prepared by the committee led by Justice Gita Mital.
The committee was formed by the Supreme Court on 7 August 2023 to oversee the humanitarian aspects such as compensation and rehabilitation of victims in the Manipur violence.
Following the order, the Maipur government started sending notifications to the families of the victims, asking them to claim the bodies for last rites to be performed at five designated locations.
