Manipur's Kangpokpi district witnessed a 12-hour total shutdown, hoisting up of black flag and mourning during the burial ceremony of the Kuki-Zo dead bodies in the ongoing ethnic violence in the state since May 3.
Twenty-three dead bodies including four untraceable/missing dead bodies were given a decent and honorable burial today at Martyrs Cemetery at Phaijang village in Kangpokpi district.
Altogether, 58 Kuki-Zo people have been killed in ongoing Manipur violence till date out of which 22 dead bodies had already been buried earlier, four dead bodies were untraceable/missing and 13 dead bodies were transferred to Churachandpur district as requested by their families while 19 dead bodies were flown home yesterday from Imphal.
Among the twenty-three dead bodies including the four untraceable dead bodies buried today, include the dead bodies of a 7-year-old Tonsing Hangshing and his mother Meena Hangshing who were burnt alive inside an ambulance.
The dead body of a Meitei woman, Lydia Lourembam, wife of Lourembam Inaoton, who was burnt alive along with Tonsing Hangshing and Meena Hangshing was also among the dead bodies buried today.
The dead bodies of Florence Nempichong Hangshing and Olivia Lhingneithem Chongloi, who were raped and brutally murdered, were also among the dead bodies buried today.
The decent and honorable mass burial ceremony under the theme, "You Sacrifice Your Today For Our Tomorrow" conducted under the aegis of the Committee on Tribal Unity Sadar Hills at the Martyrs Cemetery at Phaijang village was attended by more than ten thousand people across the district.
Kuki Inpi Manipur, Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association, and various other civil society organizations, Kuki-Zo prominent leaders across the District and state also attended the mass burial ceremony.
While CoTU Chairman Thanglen Kipgen gave the welcome speech, CoTU General Secretary, Lamminlun Singsit gave a brief report of the victims from the district.
Condolence and gun salute to the Martyrs Kuki-Zo was conducted by the Kuki-Zo volunteers under the aegis of the CoTU Defence Department.
Apart from the CSOs leaders, the victim's family members also spoke on the occasion.
Dr. Satkhokai Chongloi, who attended the Mass Burial Ceremony as Minister led the burial ceremony after a mass prayer with all the Church leaders.
The coffins were carried by the Kuki-Zo volunteers and one Church leader each carried the cross of each of the dead bodies and led the coffins to the burial site.
Joshua Hangshing, father of Tonsing Hangshing and husband of Meena Hangshing said, "Till I received the dead bodies of my son and wife, I could not have a normal life thinking that they would come back home anytime from somewhere".
"The day I came to know that their dead bodies will be flown home, I could not sleep the whole night longing to meet them, though, they would not be able to talk to me like before", he added.
He also said that now I am relieved as they could have a decent and honorable burial.
Lourembam Inaoton, a Meitei by ethnicity, and husband of Lydia Lourembam said that I had been leading a miserable life till I received the dead bodies of my wife.
"It's very difficult to explain how my life was before her lifeless body reached me, but, now, I am fine as she got a decent and honorable burial today", he added.
Lourembam Inaoton also conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to the leaders of CoTU, KIM, KSO, and other CSOs for their exemplary humanitarian gestures in giving a decent and honorable burial to his wife's dead body.
CoTU's Information and Publicity Secretary, Thangtinlen Haokip once again thanked the Supreme Court as the Kuki-Zo victims could be finally put to rest.
He said that the Kuki-Zo people appreciated the Supreme Court in directing the state to hand over the mortal remains of our fallen brethren to us.
He also thanked the IGAR South and the 22 AR on behalf of the Kuki-Zo people of Kangpokpi for the transportation of the dead bodies. Thangtinlen Haokip also said that CoTU is extremely thankful to the public for supporting us in times of our grief by adhering to the 12-hour total shutdown which ended this afternoon at 5:00 p.m.
"May our departed souls rest in peace and their sacrifice will never be lost in our quest for freedom from the oppressive administration", he added.
All business establishments, schools, and institutions apart from vehicular movement came to a standstill today in Kangpokpi district during CoTU's 12-hour total shutdown.
