GUWAHATI: The Kuki-Zo organisation Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) petitioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding a judicial probe into the November 11 killings of 10 Kuki-Zo tribals by the CRPF and the police in Manipur’s Jiribam district.The bodies were laid to rest in Churachandpur on Thursday. Earlier, the police stated the persons were “armed militants” killed in a gunfight.In a memorandum to Shah, the ITLF claimed none of the 10 were militants. It said one was a painter, another a computer store owner, and the rest were masons who worked on construction sites when not on duty at the front.“The post-mortem reports clearly show that the men were shot from the back, which proves they were not engaged in a gunfight with security forces when they were gunned down,” the ITLF wrote in the memorandum.The organisation suspected that the persons were ambushed or murdered after being captured. It cited that some had more than a dozen bullet wounds mostly entering from their back, raising questions about the “moral and ethical conduct” of the CRPF.According to the ITLF, each of four deceased had an eye missing, indicating they were gouged out.“In light of the available facts, we demand a judicial inquiry into the deaths of the 10 Kuki-Zo volunteers so that justice is served to them and their families,” the organisation said.“…the men were out on patrol to protect fellow tribals because of the attack on Zairawn village by Meitei gunmen—a duty that the CRPF was supposed to perform but failed,” it further stated.The ITLF urged Shah to start laying the groundwork for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people “so that we can live a life free of discrimination and subjugation.”The organisation said the latest round of violence, which started with the burning of the Zairawn village in Jiribam district and the murder of a 31-year-old tribal woman, resulted in the deaths of the persons.Meanwhile, a large number of people had gathered during the funeral ceremony. The bodies of two others, killed in separate incidents, were also laid to rest.A delegation from Mizoram, including Young Mizo Association leaders and Ginzalal Hauzel, who is advisor to Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, attended the event. The Mizo and tribe leaders paid homage by covering the coffins with customary traditional shawl. Later, the bodies were laid to rest at the Martyrs Cemetery.Earlier, the ITLF had stated that the last rites of the 10 would not be performed till their autopsy reports were handed over to the families.
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