After months, bodies of 60 killed in Manipur violence airlifted from Imphal

The bodies, lying in two morgues in Imphal for months, were shifted after the SC issued an order on November 28 for their dignified disposal

Guwahati: The bodies of 60 people killed in the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur were on Thursday airlifted from morgues in Imphal hospitals and delivered to two hill districts, marking an end to months of speculation and possibly the beginning of a closure for the victims’ families.

A police patrol party in a violence-hit area of Manipur. (AFP)

The bodies, which were lying at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) and Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), both located in Imphal, were shifted in helicopters to Kangpokpi and Churachandpur, both districts dominated by the Kuki community.

According to representatives of Kuki organisations, till 2:30 pm, 41 of those bodies had been transported to Churchandpur at the Assam Rifles helipad in four trips. The other 19 bodies were shifted to Motbung in Kangpokpi.

“They were brought in multiple batches by helicopters from Imphal. The last rites for the victims will take place tomorrow at the martyrs’ memorial cemetery at Phaijang village near Motbung,” said a representative of Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a Kuki group active in Kangpokpi.

“No decision has been taken yet on the date and place of burials for those bodies brought to Churachandpur. The last rites will most probably be held next week,” informed Ginza Vualzong from Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a Kuki organisation based in Churachandpur.

The shifting of the bodies, which were lying at the two morgues in Imphal for months took place after the Supreme Court issued an order on November 28 for dignified disposal of unclaimed bodies.

Following the order, the state government started sending notifications to the families of the victims, asking them to claim the bodies for last rites to be performed at five designated locations.

According to a list 169 identified bodies submitted by the Manipur government in SC, a total of 88 had remained unclaimed in the morgues of JNIMS, RIMS and at the Churachandpur medical college.

All the unclaimed bodies were of Kuki victims. And of the 81 bodies which had been claimed by relatives only four-five were of Kukis while the others belonged to theMeitei community.

“As per our records, there are 45 victims from Kangpokpi, but we have received only 19 bodies. We might not get any more bodies and the remains of the other victims may have been disposed off by those who killed them,” said the COTU office bearer.

Manipur has been roiled by ethnic clashes between Meiteis, who are dominant in Imphal Valley, and tribal Kukis, who are in majority in few hill districts. The violence until now has claimed 195 lives and displaced around 50,000.