ALL the 12 Kuki-Zo youths, including the 10 killed in an alleged gunfight with CRPF in Jiribam district of Manipur, were laid to rest on Thursday in Churachandpur. Coinciding with the day-long funeral programme, a total shutdown was observed to pay respect to the deceased in the hill district of the state with thousands of people joining the march and attending the ceremony. “The bodies of the village volunteers, which were taken from the morgue to their respective homes the previous evening, were brought to the funeral programme in the morning,” said Ginza Vualzong, the spokesperson of Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a key organisation of the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur. A delegation from Mizoram, including Mizoram Chief Minister’s Advisor (Technical) H Ginzalala and Young Mizo Association leaders, attended the event, he added.

 

“They showed their respect and honours by putting a traditional shawl over the coffins of the martyrs. All other tribe leaders paid their homage to the martyrs by covering their coffins with the customary traditional shawl,” Vualzong said. The tribe leaders called for a thorough investigation into the deaths of the village volunteers as post-mortem reports showed that they were killed by bullets fired from their back by the security forces, he added. The entire funeral programme was divided into two sessions. The first one began at 11 am at Peace Ground in Tuibuong, where people from all spheres of society paid their respect.

 

The second and final session was from 2 pm at Martyrs Cemetery in Sehken. where the deceased were given a ‘gun salute by village volunteers’, followed by the burial of the bodies. The family paid their last respect there. The 12 men laid to rest were Elvis Lalropui (21), Joseph Lalditum (19), Lalthanei (22), Ruolneisang (30), Fimlienkung (31), Lalsiemlien Hmar (30), Francis Lalzarlien (25), Ramneilien (31), Henry Lalsanglien (25), Robert Lalnuntloung (19), Haojoel Doungel (27) and Thangtinmang Khongsai (35). All the 12 bodies of Kuki-Zo youths were taken out from the morgue on Wednesday afternoon and sent to the respective families for an overnight stay for the last time.