Imphal, Dec 14 The bodies of 64 victims, which have been lying in morgues of different hospitals since ethnic riots broke out in Manipur more than seven months ago, were handed over to their families under tight security measures on Thursday, officials said.
According to the officials, of the 64 bodies, 60 bodies were lying in morgues of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) and the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal while four bodies were kept at the morgue in Churachandpur district hospital.
Of the 60 bodies, 41 shifted to Churachandpur and 19 in Kangpokpi districts while four bodies were taken to Imphal.
The bodies were airlifted to the respective districts in compliance with the Supreme Court’s direction on dignified burial of the victims.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) said: "Much awaited homecoming of our fallen brothers and sisters after a long tumultuous over seven months of despair, heartbreak and hopelessness have eventually reached their resting place here in our homeland."
"We would honor our fallen Kuki-Zo brethren with the highest burial rites on Friday at Martyr Cemetery at Phaijang," it said in a statement and praised the Supreme Court for having to intervene and understand the sentiments of the Kuki-Zo communities.
The COTU called a 12-hours total shutdown within Sadar Hills of Kangpokpi on Friday for conducting the funeral services and appealed the people to cooperate with them.
However, emergency services and funeral parties are exempted from the purview of the shut down.
The Supreme Court had formed a committee in August of three former high court judges -- Gita Mittal, Shalini Joshi, and Asha Menon -- to look into the investigation, relief, remedial measures, compensation and rehabilitation in violence-devastated Manipur.
Considering the committee's report, the apex court issued directives for the burial or cremation of those killed in the ethnic violence in Manipur, including the 88 people who were identified but their bodies not claimed by their family members.
The last rites of burial or cremation would take place in nine sites identified by the Manipur government or the state can go ahead and do the same in accordance with municipal laws.
The ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 after a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The ethnic riot between non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki communities has so far claimed 182 lives, injured several hundred and displaced more than 70,000 people of both communities.
In Manipur, the non-tribal Meitei community people account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley while tribals – Nagas, Kukis-Zos -- constitute little more than 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
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