SILCHAR, Nov 16:   The bodies of 10 Kuki-Zo youths, killed in a CRPF firing incident in Jiribam, Manipur, were airlifted from Cachar district on Saturday amid protests and clashes between the police and the Kuki-Zo communities. The protests, which were primarily led by the Hmar community, demanded that the bodies be transported by road to Churachandpur instead of Imphal.

The bodies were first moved from Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) to the Masimpur Assam Rifles helipad in Cachar, from where they were airlifted to Churachandpur by two helicopters provided by the Manipur government. The families of the deceased and community members had been insisting for several days that the bodies be sent via road, but their demands had not been met, leading to escalating tensions.

Earlie in the day, a tense situation erupted outside SMCH as members of the Kuki and Hmar communities clashed with the police. Agitated protesters allegedly threw stones at Assam police personnel, prompting the police to use force to regain control of the situation. The unrest was fueled by the delayed release of the bodies, which had been autopsied at SMCH but were not returned to the families.

The deceased had been killed by CRPF personnel in a gunfight in Jiribam, Manipur, earlier in the week. The Manipur government claimed that the individuals were suspected Kuki militants, further stoking anger within the tribal communities. In response to the ongoing protests, the police and paramilitary forces were deployed to ensure law and order at the medical college.

Cachar Superintendent of Police, Numal Mahatta, explained, “We had a word with the agitated tribal people here and tried to resolve the matter. The bodies have been airlifted from Assam Rifles’ Masimpur camp. There was a misunderstanding between the tribal people while we were trying to dispose of the dead bodies of the Kuki youths from SMCH. However, after we reached here and had a word with them, the matter was resolved. We won’t allow anyone to create a law and order situation in the Cachar district.”

The bodies of 10 Kuki-Zo youths killed in a CRPF firing in Jiribam, Manipur, were airlifted from Cachar to Churachandpur amid protests and clashes with police. Tensions escalated as the Kuki-Zo community demanded the bodies be transported by road, leading to unrest outside Silchar Medical College Hospital.