The indigenous Christians were buried in a mass funeral in the hilly state eight months after the violence began.
Relatives prepare for the burial of 87 tribesmen killed during sectarian violence in Manipur on December 20, eight months after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern Indian state. (Photo: AFP)
Thousands of Christians paid their last respects to 87 indigenous Christians in a mass funeral on December 20, eight months after sectarian violence rocked India’s hilly state of Manipur.
Victims from the Kuki and Zomi communities were buried in different places in Churachandpur district, where conflicts began on May 3, leaving 200 people dead.
“We buried 87 people in two different places in two sessions,” Barnabas Simte, district president of the All Manipur Catholic Union, told UCA News on December 20.
“The bodies included those flown from the capital Imphal and those kept at the district hospital,” Simte added.
The government airlifted 60 bodies of indigenous Kukis from Imphal on December 14, fearing that their transportation by road would fuel further tensions.
Their burial was sanctioned on November 28 by the Supreme Court, India’s highest court.
According to government records, 175 bodies, mostly indigenous, were kept in morgues.
The top court ordered the government to hand over the bodies to their relatives and dispose of the unidentified bodies.
On December 18, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders in Churachandpur following fresh clashes ahead of the mass burial, leaving several people injured.
The restraining orders “will be in effect until February 18, 2024.”
However, this had no impact on the thousands of Christians who gathered to pay their respects to the victims of ethnic violence.
The violence has also displaced some 50,000 people, mostly Christians, who continue to live in state-run relief camps as their homes have been burned.
Simte wanted the administration to withdraw the ban order at the earliest.
Violence broke out between Kuki Christians and Meitei Hindus following a demand for tribal status for the Meiteis.
This status will help them benefit from the government’s welfare schemes for tribals, such as reservation of seats in government jobs and educational institutions. India positive action.
Meiteis make up 53 percent and tribal Christians 41.29 percent of Manipur’s 3.2 million population.
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