Manipur: Funeral of 10 Kuki-Zo Youths On Hold Till Receipt Of Autopsy Reports

Churachandpur/Guwahati: funeral of 10 Kuki-Zo youths, who were killed in an alleged gunfight with CRPF, will not be conducted till ir post-mortem reports were handed over to families, a leing organisation representing community said on Sunday.

Indigenous Tribal Leers' Forum (ITLF), a key organisation of Kuki-Zo community in Manipur, has convened an emergency meeting to decide its future course of action regarding funeral of 10 people, killed in Jiribam district.

"Today, we will have a meeting on how to proceed with funeral. We have not received post-mortem examination documents yet. Without those, we cannot touch bodies because if we tamper with bodies, re could be some legality issues," ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong told PTI.

Accordingly, bodies have been kept in local hospital morgue for time being after ir arrival here on Saturday, he ded.

post-mortem examination of 10 Kuki-Zo youths, who ITLF claimed were village volunteers as against Manipur government's assertion that y were militants, was conducted at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in Assam.

"We are waiting for documents. I don't know what is going on, may be things are very fishy! If we do not receive reports, n we will have to do post-mortem examination here again. So, burial will not take place soon unless all se formalities are done," Vualzong said.

He said Kuki organisation is exploring possibilities to conduct autopsy again at Churachandpur District Hospital and a final decision will be taken during meeting of ITLF senior leers.

"If we receive post-mortem examination reports in meantime, experts in this field will carefully review documents for any inconsistencies. ITLF legal cell will take up all legal matters in this regard," Vualzong said.

Joint Philanthropic Organisation (JPO) will collaborate with Hmar Inpui to plan burial programme for youths, he ded.

bodies of youths were airlifted to Churachandpur from Assam's Silchar town on Saturday afternoon. SMCH authorities are yet to release postmortem report of youths, sources said.

On Saturday in Silchar, police resorted to lathi-charge outside SMCH as family members of youths clashed with forces demanding that bodies be handed over to m.

Assam Police officials tried convincing m that bodies would be handed over to Manipur Police and y could take up matter with m.

agitated family members refused to accept proposal and attacked police personnel and resorted to stone pelting, which injured several persons.

y finally agreed to proposal that both Manipur and Assam Police would airlift bodies of 10 youths to Churachandpur. Soon after, bodies were airlifted and reached Churachandpur in afternoon.

Manipur Police on November 11 claimed 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces after insurgents in camouflage uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons fired indiscriminately at Borobekra Police Station and an jacent CRPF camp at Jakurhor in Jiribam district.

suspected militants allegedly abducted six civilians, including women and children from same district, police h claimed.

More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and joining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.

It started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in hill districts to protest against Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by clashes in Imphal Valley and joining hills, witnessed violence after mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in hill districts. 

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