Chaos in Assam hospital over handing over bodies of 10 Manipur encounter victims

Chaos sparked at the premises of the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in Assam on Saturday morning over the handing over the bodies of residents of Jiribam district in Manipur who were killed in an encounter with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on November 11.
The bodies were brought to SMCH on November 12 and in the next two days, the postmortems were conducted, as per the official reports. However, nearly 400 locals from Jiribam and Assam were camping at SMCH since November 12, prevented the police from taking the bodies.
At around 10am, some senior police officials came to SMCH along with additional forces and the process of taking out the bodies from morgue started. But the protesters sat in front of the morgue and prevented police from entering.
They said they want the bodies to be handed over there, but the police and other government officials said that the bodies will be handed over in Manipur’s Churachandpur.
A protester said, “We have been waiting here for the last five days, we won’t allow airlifting the bodies. Please hand them over here, we’ll leave.”
The government officials and police tried to convince them but after nearly an hour of discussion, police started pushing the protesters. The protesters also pushed back, and some police officials fell on the ground, which prompted a lathicharge.
This created chaos, and the protesters started pelting stones at the police, forcing the police to step back.
After that the inspector general of police (Law and Order), Assam, Prasanta Kumar Bhuiyan and superintendent of police (SP), Cachar, Numal Mahatta spoke to the protesters and gave them 15 minutes to decide if they would co-operate.
Mahatta said, “This is not Manipur, this is Assam, and we won’t allow such acts of violence. The bodies came from Manipur, and it is our duty to send them to Manipur’s Churachandpur. If you want to attend the last rites, you can go there,” he said.
On November 11, ten Jiribam residents died during an encounter with the CRPF and according to the SMCH authorities, the bodies were brought there for postmortem on November 12.
The protest started on Wednesday evening after an alleged delay in the process and protesters blocked the Forensic Medicine department for several hours.
The postmortem process was completed on Thursday and the villagers were waiting to receive the bodies when the officials said that the higher authorities have ordered for a DNA test. However, on Saturday the process of handing over started, and the authorities have not confirmed if the DNA tests were conducted.
The Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Thursday declared that they want the bodies to be transported to Manipur’s Lamka by road and the process of funeral will be finalised there.
In a public notice, ITLF wrote, “On November 14, 2024, at 3:30 pm an urgent meeting at ITLF office to address matters involving the transportation of the ten Hmar village volunteers who are presently in Silchar for postmortem…”Following extensive discussion, it was decided that the ten martyrs must be transported by road through Mizoram and then to Lamka via Tipaimukh Road once the postmortems are completed. Other modes of transportation will not be accepted. Following the arrival of the martyrs’ bodies in Lamka, the funeral program will be finalized.”
However, the officials of Assam police on Saturday said that they have orders to support the Manipur police to take the bodies to their state.
In the stone pelting by the protesters at SMCH, four journalists sustained injuries and some of them have been hospitalised.
The bodies of three persons, including a woman and two children, believed to be among the six abducted Jiribam residents, were found near Assam-Manipur border on Friday and those were taken to SMCH in the evening. According to people familiar with the matter, three more bodies were found on Saturday and those are likely to be brought to SMCH.