Twenty thousand Christians marched through Manipur, India, holding empty coffins aloft to demand that the bodies of Christians who were allegedly killed by police forces in a gunfight were released.
Ten Kuki-Zo youths were allegedly killed in the incident by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jiribam district, and their bodies are still in a morgue awaiting post-mortem results at the time of writing.
Many in attendance at the march, co-organised by three student groups, dressed in black to honour those killed in the gunfight, and it has been announced that the funerals for those killed will not take place until the post-mortem results have been released, reported the British Asian Christian Association.
Dr Vuchula Satyanandam, the British Asian Christian Association’s Lead Officer in India, revealed that the Kuki people involved had been guarding tribal border villages for over 18 months when they were attacked.
He said of the aftermath: ‘Despite the outcry, there have been no justifiable reports or accountability from the Manipur state government. The Kuki community is still grieving the daylight killings of their beloved sons by police, and justice remains elusive.’
This incident is the latest to occur in a period of escalating tension between Kuki Christians and Meitei Hindus in the region since May 2023, which has seen over 200 killed and about 70,000 displaced.
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