Kakching, Manipur: At an all-women protest in Kakching Khunou town of Manipur, the family of a Meitei man, who was abducted allegedly by Kuki militants and killed in the strife-torn state earlier this week, refused to cremate his body until justice is delivered.
The body is in police custody at a mortuary.
“We will not take the body till we get justice. We will not cremate him till we get justice,” said Ashalata, one of the two sisters leading the dharna along with Dabla.
Ashalata and Dabla’s brother M. Rishikanta was living in Manipur Churachandpur with his partner Chingu Hakoip, a Kuki woman, when he was abducted from her home and later shot dead by suspected militants.
A video purportedly showing his final moments surfaced online soon after. It showed him pleading for his life before a gunshot is heard and he collapses to the ground.
The incident sent shockwaves through the Meitei community and is a fresh flashpoint in Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict, which erupted in 2023 and has since claimed dozens of lives and displaced thousands. During the 2023 violence, several all-women protests were witnessed across the state, with women often emerging at the forefront of public demonstrations.
On Saturday, the fourth day of the protest, Ashalata–draped in a white shawl–spoke at the protest site where women raised their fists and chanted, “We want justice.” Nearby, posters pasted on trees read, “We condemn the brutal killing of Rishikanta”, while pamphlets demanding justice were scattered on the ground.
Rishikanta’s family has been demanding the arrest and interrogation of his partner, who – they say – was abducted along with him, but was released soon after. Rishikanta, they said, was working in Nepal and had returned to directly meet Hakoip, with whom he was living for the past month.
In the aftermath of the killing, locals formed a Joint Action Committee, which met Manipur Governor A.K. Bhalla on Thursday and submitted a memorandum outlining its demands.
The committee, which also iterated the demand for Hakoip’s arrest, has sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with strict punishment for those involved in the murder. The Governor later said the case will be handed over to the NIA, though the official order from the Union home ministry is pending.
Asked about allegations raised by Rishikanta’s family, a police official said the case is being transferred to the NIA. “We can’t comment on the woman’s involvement. The case will be handled by NIA,” the official said.
No arrests have been made as yet.
Rishikanta’s brother M. Prem Singh told ThePrint he met the Governor for a second time Saturday along with members of the committee to seek details about progress in the investigation.
Prem said he asked the Governor to provide a government job for him as compensation as well. “The Governor assured us that the investigation is ongoing. He said all our demands will be met,” he said.
Prem said he was working at a food joint in Imphal, when he got a call from a cousin informing him about Rishikanta’s death. He left the state capital for his home in Kakching on a scooter, eventually finding out about the video of Rishikanta’s last moments.
The JAC had also urged the government to initiate disciplinary action against the district police leadership, the district administration and central forces for failure to prevent this murder.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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