Imphal/Silchar, November 17 (IANS). The bodies of all 10 ‘militants’ killed in an encounter with security personnel in Manipur’s Jiribam district on November 11 were brought back to Churachandpur district by helicopter from Assam’s Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) on Saturday after post-mortem.
All tribal organizations in Manipur, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), Kuki-Jo Parishad and Hamar Students Union, are claiming that all 10 people are “Hamar Gram Swayamsevaks” who were deployed to protect the villagers. .
A tribal leader said that despite ITLF’s decision to bring the bodies by road, the government brought the bodies of the martyrs by helicopter.
ITLF, the apex body of the Kuki-Jo tribes in Manipur, held an emergency meeting on Saturday afternoon and decided that the bodies of the ‘martyrs’ will not be claimed for now as no post-mortem documents have been brought with the bodies.
The bodies of our ‘martyrs’ will be kept in the mortuary of the district hospital till the post mortem report comes.
“An expert in the field will investigate any discrepancies in the post-mortem documents as they become available,” a statement from the tribal body said.
It said the ITLF’s legal cell will look into all legal matters in this regard and plan the last rites of the “10 martyrs”.
In Silchar (Assam), Assam Police resorted to lathi charge outside SMCH on Saturday when family members of 10 slain ‘militants’ clashed with the police demanding handing over the bodies.
Family members of ten ‘militants’ killed in an encounter with CRPF personnel in Manipur’s Jiribam district on November 11 are camping outside the medical college, demanding handing over the bodies to them.
Police officials initially tried to convince them that the bodies would be handed over to the Manipur Police, as per rules, but the family members refused to accept the offer and clashed with the policemen and even pelted stones, killing four. Many people including journalists were injured.
–IANS
AKS/AKJ
