Bodies of victims of Manipur violence returned to their families

The bodies of 60 people who lost their lives amid ethnic violence in the state of Manipur, India, were returned to their families on 14 December.

Seven months after violence first erupted between the Meitei and the Kuki communities on 3 May 2023, the bodies of the victims were airlifted from mortuaries in the Meitei-majority Imphal district to Kuki ancestral lands in Kanggui and Lamka districts. Four Meitei bodies that were in Lamka district were also airlifted to Imphal.

CSW sources report that all of those who were moved were killed in the month of May, and that the delay in returning their bodies to their relatives has been attributed to security concerns over moving the bodies of one community through an area where another community is in the majority. The state government also took the decision to airlift the bodies to avoid any further conflict.

On 28 November, the Supreme Court ordered that the bodies be given a dignified burial, however the majority remain unclaimed amid informes of relatives facing pressure from civil society organisations not to accept them.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW remains deeply saddened by the loss of lives over the past seven months in Manipur, however we are grateful to the Supreme Court for ordering the release of the bodies of the deceased. This will allow families who have lost loved ones to carry out the last rites and bury their dead in peace, and we hope it marks a step towards closure.’

Note to Editors:

1. As of 25 November, 153 members of the Kuki community had been killed, over 45,000 displaced, and over 200 villages, 7,000 houses and 360 places of worship had been burned since violence erupted in Manipur on 3 May. One Kuki source told CSW that there are no more members of their community in the Imphal valley.