The death of a Kuki woman who survived a gang rape during Manipur’s ethnic violence has reignited demands for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people, with community organisations calling for justice and accountability.
Kuki organisations based in Churachandpur and Delhi on Monday said the woman was kidnapped in Imphal and gang-raped in May 2023, during the early days of the violence. Although she managed to escape, the groups said she “never fully recovered from the shock and injuries”. She died on January 10 while undergoing treatment in Guwahati.
Her death has triggered protests and renewed statements from Kuki bodies, which argue that peaceful coexistence with the Meitei community is no longer possible under prevailing conditions.
In a statement, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) said the woman’s death underscored the extent of violence suffered by the community.
“Her death is yet another painful testimony to the ruthless manner in which the Kuki-Zo people have been targeted,” the forum said, adding that a separate administration was now necessary “for our safety, dignity, and survival”.
The ITLF organised a candlelight procession in her memory in Churachandpur on Saturday evening.
The Kuki Students' Organisation, Delhi & NCR, alleged that no meaningful action had been taken against those responsible despite repeated appeals by civil society groups.
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“We categorically assert that her death must be officially recognised as resulting from the violence committed against her in 2023,” the organisation said, warning that any other classification would amount to “a denial of justice and an erasure of responsibility”.
The students’ body also urged the Centre to expedite the creation of a separate administrative arrangement for tribal communities, calling the move “both necessary and unavoidable”.
Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zo Women's Forum said the survivor would be remembered for her resilience as much as for the injustice she endured.
“For nearly three years, she carried pain that no human being should ever have to bear,” the forum said.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since violence broke out between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kuki-Zo groups in May 2023. Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February last year.
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