19 victims of Manipur ethnic clashes laid to rest eight months after death

Bodies of 87 other members of the tribal community will be buried on December 20 in Churachandpur district, convenor of the Joint Philanthropic Organisations Laldawnlian Varte said

Eight months after they were killed in ethnic violence in Manipur, the remains of 19 people belonging to the Kuki Zo community were laid to rest in the state's Kangpokpi district on Friday.

Friends and relatives of the deceased attended the mass burial organised by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) at Phaijang village.

Bodies of 87 other members of the tribal community will be buried on December 20 in Churachandpur district, convenor of the Joint Philanthropic Organisations( JPO) Laldawnlian Varte said.

Remains of the 19 victims had been lying in morgues for almost eight months in Imphal. They were finally given an "honourable" burial, the organisers said.

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 Valley.

Of those 60, nineteen were laid to rest during the day in Kangpokpi district, while 41 others were sent to Churachandpur.

"There are 46 bodies lying at Churachandpur district hospital. On December 20, those 46 bodies will be buried along with 41 others brought to the district from Imphal," the JPO convenor said.

He said the decision was taken according to the wishes of the next of kin of the deceased.

The ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 after a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little more than 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.