Coffin Rally Held in Churachandpur to Honor 10 Kuki-Zo Youths Killed by CRPF

A powerful 'coffin rally' was held today in Churachandpur as a tribute to the 10 Kuki-Zo youths killed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jiribam district. The rally, organized by the Joint Philanthropic Organisation (JPO) — a collective of various Kuki-Zo groups including Kuki Khanglai Lampi, Young Paite Association, Zomi Youth Association, and others — aimed to honor the slain youths and show solidarity with their families.

Participants, many dressed in black, carried symbolic dummy coffins to pay their respects as the bodies remain in the morgue at Churachandpur District Hospital. The rally, which began at Lamka Public Ground, culminated at the Wall of Remembrance Site in Tuibong, where mourners gathered to remember the fallen heroes.

Notably, Zomi Students' Federation (ZSF), Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) and Hmar Students' Association (HSA), in a 'joint public notice' on November 18, directed schools and colleges to send pupils from class 10 onwards to participate in the event wearing black shirts.

The bodies of the 10 youths, who were reportedly killed by the CRP on November 11, arrived in Churachandpur on Saturday afternoon after postmortem examinations were conducted at a hospital in Silchar, Assam. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a key body representing the Kuki-Zo community, announced that the funeral would not take place until the postmortem reports were handed over to the families.

The incident, which took place in Jiribam district, has sparked intense controversy. The Manipur Police claimed that the 10 individuals were suspected militants killed during a clash with security forces. However, Kuki Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) vehemently rejected this, asserting that the deceased were not militants but village volunteers guarding their communities against ongoing attacks by Meitei militants.