Coffins lined up outside PM event’s proposed site

AHead up of undercoat government minister Narendra Modi’s see to Manipur this hebdomad, security forces and the state administration have banned the use of drones, are sprucing up helipads, and repairing roads. But they have hit a hurdle with the coffins.Around half a dozen coffins (minus bodies, fortunately), have made a reapparance outside a ground in Churachandpur where the Prime Minister is scheduled to speak on Saturday. The coffins next to the so-called Wall of Remembrance first appeared in 2023 as homage to those who died in the ethic clashes ; they were placed there by Kuki-Zo groups. They were removed sometime in July or August, but made a reappearance on Sunday.“ They were removed about a month ago. Now they have appeared again on the road leading to the ground where the PM is set to meet people. Most influential civil society groups are opposed to the display of such coffins and have called for their removal but there are some groups who are insisting on keeping it,” an official aware of the matter said, adding that talks are being held by the local district magistrate and security forces with different Kuki-Zo civil society groups to convince them to remove it.On Saturday, PM Modi is set to visit the state, his first visit since violence broke out in May 2023. Modi, who is on a scheduled visit to Mizoram on September 12-13, is likely to first fly to Churachandpur from Aizawl for a public meeting at the ground and then another one in the valley. Churachandpur, a hill district, is where Kuki-Zo people have retreated to since the clashes started in May 2023. The Meitei people on the other hand have shifted to the valley.Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since 2023, sparked by a high court order asking the state to seek scheduled tribe status for Meitei tribes that caused simmering tension between Kukis and Meiteis to boil over. Since then, 260 people have died in the violence and around 60000 people have been displaced, as the Kuki and Meitei tribes retreated to their strongholds. The state government was dismissed on February 13, 2025 and President’s rule imposed. Since then, the situation has improved. On September 4, the Centre, the state, and some Kuki-Zo groups signed a tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement; back in February 2023, the state government’s unilateral withdrawal from the SoO was one of the factors that led to tension.A second officer who asked not to be named added: “There are insurgent groups that are not part of the Suspension of Operation pact who want to create problems. They have put some student organizations as the face and are insisting on having the coffins there. It is under their pressure that the coffins have been brought back. They are just boxes and don’t have mortal remains. Many community elders have advised the different groups to remove them, but some mischievous groups want it to be there during the PM’s visit. Talks are on. Maybe good sense will prevail... This is an important occasion because it is the first time that any PM is visiting Churachandpur.”Samuel Taithul, general secretary of the Zomi Students Federation, confirmed that the coffins are back in place. He said,”The old ones had worn out due to the rain and other factors in the last two years. They had to be changed ” Taithul added that civil society groups are in touch with the district administration over removing them. “We don’t want to remove it. Let the PM security decide it as they say it is not suitable from a security perspective.”