The Kuki-Zo community in Shillong organised a candlelight vigil at the KWS Conference Hall Church, intensifying calls for justice amid growing concern over repeated incidents of sexual violence against Kuki-Zo women during the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The vigil, led by youths, was held in protest following the death of a 20-year-old Kuki-Zo woman who had suffered sexual violence during Manipur’s ethnic violence in 2023, with the community asserting that her death was a direct consequence of conflict-related sexual violence.
During the protest, the youths demanded, “we call upon the government of India and concern authorities to officially recognise the death as the consequences of conflict related sexual violence, institute a time bound independent and imperial investigation into the crime and subsequent administrative failures, ensure immediate arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators involved, fix accountability on officials who failed in their duty to protect the survivor and deliver justice, establish robust mechanism for survivors support including Medical care, rehabilitation and legal aid, lastly the Kuki -Zo community we seek for separate administration”.
The vigil underscored deepening anguish within the community and renewed demands for accountability, justice for survivors, and long-term political and administrative solutions.
