Mizoram’s largest community-based voluntary organisation is set to host a reception in Aizawl to honour and pay tribute to the 10 Kuki-Zo “village volunteers” killed in a gunfight with security forces in Manipur’s Jiribam district on November 11.

The Young Mizo Association (YMA) has stated that the deceased were “innocent” victims, condemning the killings as “murders” and demanding a probe by the Centre. The bodies are to be taken to Manipur from Assam via Mizoram.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed multiple rallies on Wednesday, did not utter a word on the fresh flare-up in the conflict-ridden state, in keeping with his stand on Manipur.

The Mizos share the same Zo ethnicity as the Kukis, Zomis, Hmars, Chins in Myanmar and Bawms in Bangladesh. The Mizoram government was the first to formally voice its concern over the conflict which had also become a poll issue in the Mizoram elections last year.

Condemning the “murders” of the Hmar woman teacher on November 7 and then 10 of their “innocent brethren” by CRPF personnel on November 11, the Aizawl-based YMA on Wednesday adopted three unanimous resolutions.

They demanded that the Centre order an inquiry into the killings; financially compensate the families of their “innocent brethren” killed on November 11; and resolve the Manipur unrest as soon as possible.

Manipur police had in a detailed statement on Tuesday said that around 2.30pm on Monday, Borobekra police station, where IDPs (internally displaced persons) had been given shelter, and a CRPF post at nearby Jakuradhor in Jiribam were “simultaneously attacked by militants with heavy sophisticated weapons including RPGs and automatic weapons”. The police said nearby houses were also damaged and burnt down.

In the retaliatory fire, the 10 “armed militants” were killed. The police said two relief camp inmates were later found dead while six others were missing.

Professor Malsawmliana, the general secretary of the YMA, confirmed to TheTelegraph through a text message that the outfit will organise a reception in Aizawl to receive the bodies when they arrive from Assam, but the exact time of the bodies’ arrival was not confirmed.

“The bodies are supposed to be taken to Churachandpur (Manipur) via Mizoram. It is our tradition to receive a body while it is passing through,” he said when asked the reason behind the reception, reflecting the close community bond the Mizos share.

The funeral of the deceased will be held in Churachandpur, a 12-hour drive from Aizawl in neighbouring Mizoram.

Till Wednesday noon, the post-mortems of six of the 10 bodies had been completed at the Silchar Medical College in Assam.

Established in 1935, the YMA’s key activities include helping the needy and making arrangements when there is a death in the community.

Community leaders and the public in Mizoram had expressed disappointment over the way the BJP-led Centre and the Manipur government had handled the conflict that has led to the death of at least 252 people and the displacement of over 60,000 since it erupted on May 3, 2023.

The Mizoram government, the YMA and other civil society organisations had extended support to the IDPs from Manipur affected by the ongoing conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos.

Even now over 4,000 IDPs from Manipur are taking shelter in Mizoram. Former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga was the first to formally voice his concern over the unrest in Manipur.

Mizoram’s Opposition party, the Mizo National Front (MNF), too on Wednesday expressed shock over the killing of the 10 “Hmar volunteers, who were guarding their village, allegedly at the hands of the Central Reserve Police Force, an entity expected to maintain neutrality in the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur”.

Extending its condolences to the families of the “fallen heroes”, the MNF said: “As the Mizo adage goes, ‘Dam leh tlang khatah, thih leh ruam khatah’ (If we survive, we will survive together, and if we die, we will ensure no one dies alone), the MNF stands in solidarity with our people. We denounce the CRPF’s actions, and their discriminatory behaviour against Mizo tribes deeply grieves us.”