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The bodies of 12 Kuki-Zo youths, including 10 who perished in a gunfight with security forces in Jiribam district, were released from the morgue on Wednesday and handed over to their families ahead of the funeral.

 

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) announced a complete shutdown in Churachandpur from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday to honour the deceased.

 

The funeral will be held in two sessions, the first at Peace Ground in Tuibuong at 11 a.m. and the second at Sehken’s Martyrs Cemetery at 2 p.m., where the deceased will be given a gun salute by local volunteers.

 

ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong confirmed, “The families will spend the last night with their loved ones. On Thursday morning, the bodies will be brought for the funeral ceremonies as scheduled.”

 

According to the schedule shared with the press, the funeral will be attended by Ginzalala, who is the Adviser (Technical) to Mizoram CM Lalduhoma and also a ZPM MLA.

“His presence is a major support, demonstrating the Mizoram government’s standing with us during this crisis,” an ITLF leader remarked.

 

The bodies, airlifted to Churachandpur from Silchar on 16 November, had been held in the morgue pending post-mortem reports.

 

After receiving the reports, ITLF announced the funeral would proceed on 5 December.

 

The autopsy reports revealed that the 10 youths killed in the alleged gunfight suffered multiple bullet wounds, most fired from behind.

 

The Manipur Police had claimed the youths were militants involved in an attack on Borobekra police station and a nearby CRPF camp.

 

Two other deceased individuals were Kuki men killed by suspected Meitei assailants while visiting family members.

 

The conflict in Manipur, which began in May 2023, has claimed over 250 lives and displaced thousands in clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

 

The violence erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

 

Meiteis, comprising 53% of Manipur’s population, predominantly reside in the Imphal Valley, while tribal groups, including Kukis and Nagas, constitute over 40% and inhabit the hill districts.