LI Network
Published on: 4 August 2023 at 11:20 IST
The Manipur High Court has issued an order to maintain status quo at the proposed burial site in Haolai Khopi village of Churchandpur district, where the Kuki-Zo community planned a burial service for the 35 people who lost their lives in the ongoing violence in the State.
The Bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan and Justice A Guneshwar Sharma, passed the directions in the interest of public safety, considering the possibility of further aggravating the already volatile situation in Manipur.
In their statement, the Court expressed concerns about the potential escalation of law and order issues and the risk of triggering a fresh wave of violence and bloodshed due to the gathering of large groups from both communities at the disputed land.
To prevent any unwanted incidents, the Court issued interim directions to maintain the status quo of the land until further notice.
The Court allowed representatives of the Kuki-Zo community to apply to officials for the allocation of an alternative land for the burial purpose. The matter will be heard again on August 9, 2023.
The ongoing violence in Manipur has its roots in the opposition of certain tribes to the demand made by the majority Meitei community for Scheduled Tribe status.
On April 19 of this year, the Manipur High Court had ordered the State government to expedite the consideration of the inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, preferably within a period of four weeks from the date of the order.