Guwahati: The 12 Kuli and Hmar personnel, who fell victim to the recent spate of violence in Manipur earlier this month will be cremated on December 5 even as the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a conglomeration of several Kuki and Hmar organisations, has called for a total shutdown on the date as a mark of respect to the deceased.
The ITLF leadership said this on Saturday and added that there will also be a silent rally as a mark of respect for the deceased, who were declared martyrs by the ITLF. Ten of the deceased include those killed by CRPF forces on November 11 during an encounter at Borobekra and Jakurdhor area of Jiribam district in Manipur. Two other deceased, including a woman were killed by unidentified miscreants during the recent violence in the Jiribam district of the state.
The bodies of the 12 deceased had been initially sent to the Silchar Medical College in Assam's Cachar district for post-mortem and were taken back later to Churachandpur. The bodies were kept at the morgue of Churachandpur civil hospital since then. "Our twelve martyrs will be laid to rest with the greatest of honour and respect on December 5. The programme for condolences will be conducted at Peace Ground in Tuibuong. The final homecoming of the martyrs can be performed by the martyrs’ families on December 4," said the ITLF on Saturday.
"On the day of the burial, a massive silent rally will be taken out. From Ngurte and the following martyrs' villages, the bodies of the martyrs will be carried to the Public Ground, Hiangtam Lamka where they will be received by the people. After that, the bodies will be carried to Peace Ground in a silent rally, along with the people," they said.
The ITLF further added that the post-mortem reports were examined together by a forensic and legal expert. "Further legal cases will be taken up by ITLF Legal Cell," the ITLF said. "There will be a total shutdown on December 5, to mark our respect for our martyrs," the ITLF said.
