Manipur tribals finally bury 8 ‘martyrs’, 632 days after they were killed
Updated On May 28, 2017 08:37 AM IST
After 632 days, eight of the nine tribals, who were killed in a police firing on August 31, 2015 in Manipur’s Churachandpur Town, were buried after an agreement between hill tribes and the Manipur Government.
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Updated on May 28, 2017 08:37 AM IST
People from Churachandpur seen lowering a coffin into a common grave for 8 of the 9 tribals, who were killed in a police firing on August 31, 2015 in Manipur’s Churachandpur Town. After 632 days, their bodies were finally buried following an agreement between hill tribes and the Manipur Government. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO. )
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Updated on May 28, 2017 08:37 AM IST
Mother of Thangzalian Phaipi, a victim of the firing, mourns next to his coffin. The protests, in which the 9 lost their lives, were triggered after the Manipur government passed three bills, which were viewed as an act of aggression by the people of the valley, the Meiteis, who saw them as an onslaught on their living and land rights as well as their identity. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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Updated on May 28, 2017 08:37 AM IST
Family members of the victims hold a painted wooden cross outside the morgue at Churachandpur. The Meitei people are the ethnic majority in Manipur and live in the valley, which houses 60 per cent of the state’s population, though it comprises only 10 per cent of the state’s area. The Meitei campaigned for a change in land laws because of the pressure of resources in the valley. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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Family members of Robert V Jamminthang gather around his coffin. After the violence and the killing, the town refused to bury its dead as an act of protest, in an attempt to force the government to agree to their demands. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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Volunteers travel on a truck with the coffins from the morgue to the Lamka Public Ground as the public pays their last respect to the dead. The initial demands by the tribes included quashing of the bills, justice for the dead and a separate administration for the hill areas. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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A pastor holds a wooden cross at the graveyard. On May 10 this year, an agreement was reached between the tribal leaders and the Manipur government in the form of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) – on condition that the dead should be buried by May 25. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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A man mourns the dead at the graveyard. The photos of the victims – ‘martyrs’ for the locals – were pasted on each coffin along with their names. Each coffin was placed on the back of a truck surrounded by family members and friends as their final journey began. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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A young boy seen carrying a wreath at the grave. The issue of non-burial troubled the centr. An elaborate political theatre was on show – featuring angry tribals, politicians, the armed forces, militants and the inter-tribe conflicts. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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A mother mourns at her son’s grave. After the killings, women had taken over the leadership of the movement, including attending to the dead bodies. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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People load the coffins on a truck for their mass burial. The burial ground was on a hill across the Khuga dam just outside the town. It overlooked the valley and a lake. The MoU promises a memorial park on the site. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)
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Updated on May 28, 2017 08:37 AM IST