Tue Nov 19 02:57:54 UTC 2024: ## Kuki Groups to Hold “Coffin Rally” in Manipur to Protest Killing of 10 Youths

**Churachandpur, Manipur, November 19, 2024** – A coalition of Kuki organizations in Manipur will hold a “coffin rally” today to mourn the deaths of 10 Kuki-Zo youths killed in an alleged encounter with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Jiribam district last week. The rally, organized by the Zomi Students’ Federation (ZSF), Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), and Hmar Students’ Association (HSA), will see students from class 10 and above participating, wearing black shirts. Organizers plan to symbolically carry 10 dummy coffins, as the bodies of the slain youths remain in a local hospital morgue pending the release of post-mortem reports to their families.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a prominent Kuki-Zo organization, has delayed the funerals until these reports are released. Manipur Police maintain that the 10 deceased were suspected militants killed in a gunfight after an attack on a police station and CRPF camp. Police also allege that the same group abducted six civilians – three women and three children – from the Jiribam district.

The incident is the latest in a series of clashes between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo communities in the hills, which have resulted in over 220 deaths and thousands displaced since May 2023. The planned rally highlights the ongoing tensions and the Kuki community’s demand for justice and accountability.

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