A possible flare-up in strife-torn Manipur was averted on Thursday after the mass burial of 35 Kuki-Zo people killed in the ongoing unrest was kept in abeyance following an intervention by the Union home ministry and an early morning high court directive to the state and central governments to maintain status quo at the proposed burial site.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) — a conglomerate of recognised Kuki-Zo tribes of Churchandpur district — had announced that they would go ahead with the mass burial of the “Kuki-Zo martyrs” at S Boljang village in Kuki-majority Churachandpur district from 11am on Thursday despite opposition from the Meitei community and organisations, triggering tension in adjoining Meitei-majority Bishnupur district.
Bishnupur residents had opposed the mass burial as it was taking place on a government sericulture farm “without” government permission.
Acting on a petition filed by the International Meteis Forum on August 2 to stop the burial on a government property, a division bench of the high court directed the state government, the Centre and their law-enforcing agencies as well as the people of the two communities to “maintain status quo ante of the land in question till the next date”. The next date of the hearing is August 9.
Thursday morning’s four-page order passed by acting Chief Justice M.V. Muralidharan and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma stated that the interim directions were passed to prevent any untoward incident and the possibility of “igniting a fresh wave of violence and bloodshed due to the gathering of a large mob from both the communities at the land in question...”
The bench took up the case at 6am. The order said that at 5am, deputy advocate-general H. Debendra had “mentioned before the Acting Chief Justice in his residence by requesting to take up the case today itself as an unlisted matter, for the reason that in and around the land in question, a big mob from both the communities have gathered and at any moment, violence may take place”.
The Union home ministry and Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga also intervened on Wednesday to avert any flare-up over the burial site, the ITLF said.
The ITLF dropped the burial plan but went ahead with paying tributes to the deceased at the Peace Ground in Churachandpur which saw the attendance of several thousands. The ITLF said in a statement: “We had a marathon meeting till 4am.... The ministry of home affairs requested us to delay the burial for 5 more days and that if we comply to that request we will be allowed to bury on the same location and the govt will legalise the land for the burial.”
The ITLF brass wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah agreeing to push back the burial and placing five demands. On Thursday evening, the ITLF shared a one-para appeal to both the communities by minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai. Rai’s appeal said the Centre was “seized” of the issue.
