HT Bureau
IMPHAL, Dec 15: Nineteen bodies were interred in a mass burial programme on Friday at Martyr’s cemetery in Phaijang village, approximately 20 km from the Kangpokpi district headquarters in Manipur, during a 12-hour shutdown enforced by a tribal group.
Of the sixty bodies of the Kuki-Zo community turned over to their restive places.
The Kuki-Zo community in the state makes up the majority of the population in Kangpokpi district.
Next week, in the vicinity of Khuga Tampak, the remaining 41 bodies—24 of which were lying in the mortuary of the Churachandpur Medical College—are expected to be flown to the district headquarters from Imphal.
The Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills, and a Kuki civil body active in Kangpokpi organised the mass burial programme. “You sacrifice your today for our tomorrow” is the theme.
Due to a 12-hour closure for the funeral service, all stores, restaurants, offices, and educational institutions in the Kangpokpi district stayed closed on Friday.
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.
Notably, the government authorities turned over 64 bodies—four of which were Meiteis—to kin and relatives on Thursday. (With inputs from PTI)
