Mass burial of 87 Kuki-Zo victims held

The bodies of 87 victims from Kuki-Zo communities were laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony in Churachandpur district of Manipur on Wednesday, ending the months of anxious wait for the families to bid adieu to their loved ones killed in the ongoing ethnic clashes that have rocked Manipur since May, officials said.

- Utpal Parashar

Of the 87 bodies, 41 were airlifted from two morgues in Meitei-dominated Imphal last week while 46 were kept for months in the Churachandpur district hospital, officials added.

The mass burial was held at Sekhen cemetery in Churachandpur as per Christian rituals except for four bodies, three of which were buried as per Messianic rituals and one following Jewish tradition-and a gun salute by village defence volunteers. The burial was preceded by a condolence service organised at Tuibuong.