Massive shutdown and emotional scenes in Manipur’s Kangpokpi as thousands join a 35-km coffin rally for Kuki-Zo villagers killed in the Loibol attack.
KANGPOKPI / IMPHAL — Normal life came to a complete standstill across Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Saturday as thousands of grief-stricken residents joined a massive 35-kilometer coffin rally. The solemn procession was held to honor and lay to rest three Kuki-Zo villagers who were killed in a brutal pre-dawn attack at Loibol village on Friday.
The victims included a young married couple and another man whose wife is currently expecting a child. The killings have triggered widespread outrage and profound grief across the Kuki-Zo inhabited areas of the state.
A Journey of Grief and Solidarity
Mourners accompanied the coffins as they were transported all the way from the Kangpokpi District Hospital to the Martyrs’ Cemetery at Phaijang. During a deeply emotional condolence service, family members and civil society leaders—including the President of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM)—delivered moving speeches. Traditional shawls were draped over the coffins as a mark of deepest tribute, after which the three slain villagers were laid to rest with a ceremonial gun salute.
Community leaders described the 35-km rally as a symbolic appeal directed at the conscience of both the nation and the international community.
Demands for Justice and Central Intervention
On the sidelines of the burial ceremony, Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) spokesperson Ng. Lun Kipgen emphasized that the Kuki-Zo community has deliberately chosen a path of restraint, dignity, prayer, and faith, despite facing repeated provocations and violence. He asserted that their commitment to a peaceful funeral procession should not be mistaken for weakness.
According to Kipgen, a disturbing trend has emerged that requires urgent intervention from central authorities. He highlighted a series of recent targeted incidents, including:
- The targeted killing of three Kuki-Zo church leaders on May 13.
- The arson and burning down of Kharam Vaiphei village.
- The latest pre-dawn fatal attack on innocent civilians in Loibol village.
Immediate Action Demanded from Government of India
“Our people desire peace, but peace cannot survive without justice,” Kipgen stated, reaffirming that the community would not be drawn into retaliatory violence.
CoTU has raised serious concerns regarding the volatile security situation in vulnerable peripheral areas. The committee has placed a decisive list of demands before the Government of India, calling for:
- Immediate and decisive action against the armed militant groups involved in these targeted attacks.
- Fast-tracked identification and prosecution of those behind the Loibol killings and the murder of the church leaders.
- The safe and immediate release of 14 Kuki-Zo civilians who are allegedly being held hostage in the Senapati district.
- Enhanced and permanent security deployment in all vulnerable peripheral villages to protect innocent civilian lives.