Manipur Mass Burial Plan On Hold After Home Ministry Talks

A mass burial of tribal victims of Manipur's three-month-long ethnic clashes was put on hold on Thursday after community members announced talks with the Union Home Ministry. Security measures had been ramped up in Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts ahead of the event.

"We had a marathon meeting last night till 4 in the morning due to a new development. The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) requested us to delay the burial for five more days and that if we comply with that request we will be allowed to bury in the same location and the government will legalise the land for the burial. This request also came from the Mizoram Chief Minister as well," the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) said in a statement.

"After long deliberation with various stakeholders late in the night, we have come to the conclusion that we will consider the request of MHA, provided they have given us a written assurance on five demands. If the MHA fail to give us this written assurance before the start of the programme, we will continue the burial as planned. If the MHA give us a written assurance to our demand, we will continue with the program but postpone the burial part," it added.

Ginza Vaulzong, a spokesperson for the ITLF told NDTV, "Our five demands are legalisation of the burial site; All Meitei state forces should not be deployed in all hill districts for the safety of the Kuki-Zo communities; as the burial will be delayed, the dead bodies of the Kuki-Zo communities that are lying in Imphal should be brought to Churachandpur; our political demand - total separation from Manipur should be sped up; the tribal jail inmates in Imphal should be transferred to other states for their safety."

In a statement, the Home Ministry said, "The Government of India is seized of the issue of last rites of mortal remains of those killed in ethnic violence in Manipur. Government of India appeals to all concerned to maintain peace and communal harmony and assures that it will spare no efforts to resolve the aforesaid issue amicably to the utmost satisfaction of all parties within a period of seven days."

The mass burial was set to take place at S Boljang, near Haolai Khopi in Churachandpur district. According to sources from the ITLF, 35 bodies, some of which have been in the morgue for almost three months, were to be taken for the funeral.

A large gathering of tribal members was expected to take place in Churachandpur during the mass burial event. In response, the local police called in additional security forces at the site and in surrounding areas to prevent any flare-up of violence.

The mass burial announcement faced questions from Meitei civil society groups. Organisations, such as the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), have voiced their opposition to the mass burial, with their leaders urging the Kuki community to perform last rites for those killed in their native villages.

COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba criticized the Kuki leaders for "playing politics over the dead bodies" and stated that "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."

The conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki minority in Manipur has resulted in at least 120 deaths since May, although many believe the number could be higher.

The reasons behind the violence include competition for land and public jobs, with rights activists accusing local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain.

Despite the denial of such allegations by local authorities, the crisis has led to a vicious cycle of revenge attacks featuring killings, burnings of homes, churches, and temples, and the overall hardening of divisions between the two communities.