The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), representing the Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur, reiterated its demand for a separate administration following the burial of 12 youths in Churachandpur on Thursday.
The deceased included 10 individuals killed in an alleged gunfight with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police in Jiribam district on 11 November. Two others were killed in separate incidents days later.
Describing the victims as “village volunteers,” the ITLF has called for a judicial inquiry into the incident, alleging they were ambushed or captured and then murdered. Security forces, however, identified the deceased as “armed militants.”
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the ITLF asserted that none of the 10 individuals killed were extremists.
“The post-mortem reports of the deceased clearly show that the men were shot from the back, proving that they were not engaged in a gunfight,” the letter read.
The forum highlighted the injuries sustained by the victims, including multiple bullet wounds and evidence suggesting torture, such as gouged eyes.
It alleged that the CRPF failed in its duty to protect Zairawn village from attacks by Meitei gunmen, leaving the victims to patrol in defence of their community.
The ITLF has also linked the incident to its broader demand for separate Kuki-Zo administration under the Constitution, emphasising that this is essential to safeguard their dignity and ensure a peaceful future.
“A militarily enforced tranquillity cannot bring permanent normalcy to a State that is now physically divided by buffer zones,” it stated, citing the need for a political solution.
Funeral in Churachandpur
The funeral ceremony for the 12 youths was held at the Peace Ground in Tuibong, where hundreds of mourners dressed in black gathered to pay their respects.
A gun salute by “village volunteers” marked the event before the bodies were interred at the Martyrs Cemetery in Sekhen village.
Among those attending the solemn occasion were members of a delegation from Mizoram, including Young Mizo Association leaders and Ginzalal Hauzel, adviser to Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma.
Traditional Mizo shawls were draped over the coffins in a gesture of solidarity.
Opposition to border fencing
Meanwhile, the ITLF and other Kuki-Zo civil society organisations (CSOs) have raised objections to the proposed fencing of the India-Myanmar border, arguing that it would disrupt longstanding cross-border cultural and social ties.
“The Kuki-Zo people, who have lived along the India-Myanmar border for generations, fear that the fencing will isolate their communities, cut off cross-border cultural and social connections, and violate their historical rights,” the CSOs said in a memorandum submitted to Home Minister Shah through Letpao Haokip, Manipur’s Minister for Tribal Affairs and Hills.
They termed the fencing “a line that divides families, shatters traditions, and erodes centuries-old cultural heritage.”
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