Imphal, Aug 2: Security has been further beefed up in Churachandpur district, where tribal organisations have planned mass burial of the members of Kuki tribe on Thursday, who were killed in the ethnic violence since May 3.

Tribal leaders on Wednesday said that the burial of Kuki-Zo “Martyrs” would be done on Thursday at Peace Ground, Tuibuong (Lamka) in Churachandpur district.

“We have about 30-35 dead bodies in Lamka morgue and if the state government sends us the remaining ‘Martyrs’ bodies from Imphal, those would be buried too. We would give our highest tribute to the ‘Martyrs’,” Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) spokesman Ginza Vualzong told the media.

He further said, “There are many bodies of Kuki ‘Martyrs’ in the morgues of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. We have requested the district administration to collect the bodies of the ‘Martyrs’ and hand them over to us for the mass burial on Thursday.”

A large gathering of tribals is expected to be held in Churachandpur on Thursday on account of the mass burial.

Police said that additional security forces have been deployed in the mass burial site and adjoining areas to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, top Meitei organisation COCOMI has strongly opposed the mass burial move.

The leader of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the Meitei community, said that the so-called Kuki leaders should not play politics over the dead bodies.

“Every dead body of the Meitei community was being cremated at their native villages with due respect and recognition by their own near and dear ones. Likewise we expect the Kuki people to follow the same practice in performing the last rites of the dead persons,” a COCOMI leader said.

He said that encroaching of the government land is also a violation of laws and cremating all together to newly create a mass grave at the abandoned Meitei villages would not only provoke the sentiments of the people on both sides but also remain as a symbol of permanent enmity among the villagers.

Since May 3, when the ethnic violence broke out, so far Kuki groups had never done anything that is acceptable to the law of the land, the COCOMI leader added.

The COCOMI requested the government to do something which would prove that the rule of law prevails in Manipur.

“We also request to check the identity of all the dead bodies too before being cremated at their respective village as per the law and confirm their citizenship,” the organisation stated in a statement.

Also Read: Congress seeks clarification on BJP MLA’s demand to divide Manipur in 3 Union Territories

Also Watch

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on-

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/nemediahub