Mass burials after eight months comfort Manipur Christians

By Matters India Reporter

Churachandpur, Dec 20, 2023: After nearly eight months of tense waiting, Christians in Manipur on December 20 conducted the burials of 87 members of Kuki-Zo communities at two places in Churachandpur district in the strife-torn northeastern Indian state.

“A poignant symphony of sorrow echoed as people laid their loved ones to rest after harrowing months, their hearts heavy with pain, bearing witness to an unfathomable cycle of suffering and loss,” lamented Allen Brooks, the spokesperson for the Christians in northeastern India.

The Guwahati-based Catholic lay leader told Matters India that they helplessly watch in pain as the ethnic violence in Manipur continues without a solution in sight.

“We hope that the ruling dispensation acts expeditiously to end this crisis before it reaches on a path of nowhere to return,” he added.

The ceremonies took place amid tight security, first at 11 am on Peace Ground in Tuibuong and at 2 pm in the Kuki-Zo Martyrs Cemetery, Sahken.

The administration had imposed prohibitory orders in the district following clashes between two tribal communities on December 17 night.

This, however, did not prevent thousands of Christians from paying their last tribute to those who died in the ethnic violence.

Earlier on December 14, the state government airlifted 60 bodies kept in morgues in Imphal, the state capital. The administration had feared that bringing the bodies by road would trigger more violence.

Churachandpur, some 65 km south of Manipur, has been a focal point of the ethnic unrest.

The Kuki community had planned a mass burial months ago, at the border of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, predominantly inhabited by the Meitei community. However, the attempt was abandoned as it had further deepened the conflict.

Back-channel talks involving civil society groups, played a pivotal role in reducing hostilities. The Supreme Court intervened November 28, directing the state government to facilitate the dignified return of the dead to their respective homes.

Manipur has been embroiled in clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 3. What led to the violence was the Meitei’s demand for Scheduled Tribes status.

The district administration has said the probatory orders continue until February 18, 2024, and that five or more people cannot meet at a place or carry arms.

The violence in Manipur has claimed at least 200 people, mostly Kuki Christians, and rendered more than 50,000 homeless, who now live in government-managed relief camps.

The Meiteis account for 53 percent and the tribal Christians 41.29 percent of Manipur’s 3.2 million population.