Manipur’s Churachandpur – a small town located 65km towards south of the state capital Imphal, became known as the ‘town that refused to bury its dead’.
In 2015, 8 young men and an 11-year-old boy were killed during protests for the rights of the hill tribes. After 632 days and a prolonged state of conflict, the dead bodies were finally buried in 2017.
On August 31, 2015, protesters had taken to the streets of the town, against three bills passed by the Manipur government, which were considered to be ‘anti-tribal’ by the locals. Manipur’s hill areas, which includes Churachandpur, are home to the several tribes, including Thadou, Paite, Naga, Kuki, Hmar and Mizo. People who died were mostly Paite (the tribe dominates the town). The bills – Protection of Manipur People Bill, Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill – were seen as an act of aggression by the valley people, the Meiteis, on the living and land rights of the state’s tribals. This is particularly true of the first bill, which was seen as a threat to tribal identity.
The Meitei people are the ethnic majority in Manipur, and they dwell in the valley, which houses 60% of the state's population despite covering only 10% of the state's land area. Because of the valley's resource scarcity, the Meiteis have lobbied for a change in land rules. The state administration took a similar stance in 2015. The hill tribes, on the other hand, considered the land reforms and 'protection of Manipur people' as a ruse to take away their lands and livelihood.