AIZAWL, Nov 13: The Young Mizo Association (YMA) on Wednesday urged the Centre to provide compensation to the relatives of those killed in a gunfight with security forces in Manipur’s Jiribam district recently.
The Manipur Police said 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces on Monday after insurgents in camouflage uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons, fired indiscriminately at the Borobekra police station and an adjacent CRPF camp at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district.
The meeting of the central coordination committee (CCC) of the YMA, the largest and most influential civil society organisation in the state, vehemently condemned the killing of a 31-year-old woman on November 7 by “Meitei miscreants” and 10 “village volunteers” belonging to Hmar-Mizo tribes by security forces on November 11.
They also urged the Union government to investigate the two incidents and ensure justice for the victims. They urged the Centre to resolve the ongoing ethnic strife in the neighbouring state at the earliest.
One person injured in the gunfight was brought to Mizoram for treatment on Tuesday.
A Hmar woman was also killed and at least 17 houses in Zairawn village near Jiribam town was torched on November 7.
Hmar civil society organisations and various Kuki bodies alleged that the woman was shot at, raped and tortured before being burnt alive.
Earlier, various political parties and organisations in Mizoram, including ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) strongly criticised the killing of the woman.
The state’s apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), described the incident as “inhuman and uncivilised”.
Opposition party Mizo National Front (MNF) alleged that the CRPF personnel, who were supposed to be neutral forces, acted in a “partisan manner”.
Meanwhile, a Hmar leader said that post-mortem examination of six of the 10 deceased has been done in Assam’s Silchar on Tuesday and autopsy of four others were pending.
The bodies will be sent to Manipur’s Churachandpur via Mizoram once the autopsy is completed, he said.
Central YMA will organise a reception of the 10 bodies in Aizawl, CYMA general secretary Malsawmliana said. (PTI)