Churachandpur: A large number of women staged a demonstration in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Thursday, seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide justice for Kuki-Zo victims of sexual violence and murder.The sit-in at Tuibong came days after the death of a Kuki woman, who breathed her last due to illness allegedly linked to the trauma she suffered after being gang-raped over two years ago, during the early phase of the ethnic violence in the state in May 2023.
The protesters, under the banner of Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) and the women’s wing of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), demanded that the administration arrest and prosecute those involved in rapes and murders of Kuki-Zo women in the state during the violence.In the memorandum submitted to the PM through the Churachandpur deputy commissioner, the two organisations wanted to draw Modi’s “urgent attention to the systematic sexual violence, brutal killings, and grave human rights violations committed against Kuki-Zo women during the Manipur crisis.”They also demanded time-bound, transparent, and accountable investigations, including strict monitoring of the CBI and other agencies.“From May 2023 to Nov 2024, at least 29 Kuki-Zo women were brutally killed in Manipur. Victims include young women, elderly women, and even a mentally challenged woman,” it read.All cases of sexual violence against the Kuki-Zo women during the Manipur crisis should also be recognised as a crime against humanity, the memorandum said.The Kuki-Zo community is a large diverse group of ethnic people inhabiting the hills of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Tripura, besides Bangladesh, and Myanmar, known for their distinct culture, language and shared ancestry.The protesters also demanded adequate compensation, long-term rehabilitation, and comprehensive mental healthcare for the rape survivors and their families, besides protection of witnesses.The Kuki woman, who was allegedly kidnapped in Imphal and gang-raped in May 2023, died on Jan 10. She had escaped the kidnappers, but never fully recovered from the shock and injuries.Several Kuki organisations based in Churachandpur and Delhi last week demanded justice for her and called for a separate administration for the Kukis, claiming that it was not possible for them to live together with the Meitei community.At least 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur since May 2023. The state has been under President’s rule since Feb last year.
