Kuki-Zo youths killed in Jiribam gunfire laid to rest (AT Photo)
Churachandpur (Manipur), Dec. 6: The 10 Kuki-Zo youths, who were killed in a gunfight with security personnel in Manipur's Jiribam town on November 11, were laid to rest on Thursday.
Village volunteers accorded them a 'gun salute' before the funeral programme held at Peace Ground in Churachandpur. Family members of the deceased and others paid floral tributes to the 10 youths.
A condolence programme was also organised by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a key organisation of the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur. Schools, colleges, shops, and other business establishments were closed.
The funeral was attended by Mizoram legislator Ginzalala, who is also the Adviser (Technical) to Chief Minister Lalduhoma, and several other people from the neighbouring state.
Meanwhile, the ITLF submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur, demanding justice for the “10 Kuki-Zo volunteers killed by CRPF” and a political solution to end the ongoing violence in Manipur.
The memorandum stated, “According to the post-mortem reports of the deceased, it is evident that the men were shot from behind, proving they were not engaged in a gunfight with security forces when they were killed.”
The Manipur Police had claimed 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces after armed insurgents fired indiscriminately at Borobekra police station and an adjacent CRPF camp at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district on November 11.
The militants were also accused of abducting and killing six people - three women and three children - on the same day. More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
The bodies of the 10 Kuki-Zo youths on November 16 were airlifted to Churachandpur from Assam's Silchar town, where the autopsies were conducted, and kept in a morgue.
The NIA has re-registered three separate cases concerning incidents in Jiribam district, including the killing of the 31-year-old woman, the killing of six individuals after abduction, and the killing of ten armed militants by CRPF personnel.
- With inputs from news agencies