Hundreds of people marched with empty coffins in Churachandpur district, Manipur, on Tuesday, demanding justice for those killed in a recent gunfight with security forces in Jiribam. The march, organized by the Joint Philanthropic Organisation (JPO), began around 11 am and saw participants carrying placards calling for justice and a separate administration for the hill areas. The march concluded at the ‘Wall of Remembrance,’ a memorial honoring the Kuki people killed in ethnic violence in the state since May 2023.
The gunfight occurred last week when suspected militants, wearing camouflage uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons, attacked the Borobekra police station and a nearby CRPF camp in Jiribam. According to the Manipur Police, ten suspected militants were killed in the encounter. However, the Kuki-Zo groups, who have a strong presence in the region, claimed that those killed were village volunteers, not militants. The police countered this claim by pointing to a large cache of arms and ammunition recovered from the site of the gunfight.
In response to the killings, the protesters submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the district administration. The ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, which has led to the deaths of over 220 people and displaced thousands, primarily involves clashes between the Meitei community, based in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo groups in the surrounding hills.
Jiribam, an ethnically diverse area, had largely remained peaceful until June 2024, when violence erupted following the discovery of a mutilated farmer’s body. The violence has since spread, adding to the tensions between the different communities in the region. The march in Churachandpur is part of the continued efforts by Kuki-Zo groups to demand justice and address their grievances related to the ongoing ethnic conflict.
