Aizawl, Nov 16: A candlelight vigil was held in Aizawl on Friday evening to mourn the deaths of 11 members of the Hmar-Mizo community in Manipur’s Jiribam district. The event, organized by the Mizo Defence League, took place in front of Vanapa Hall, where hundreds of people gathered to express their grief and outrage.

The vigil was prompted by the killing of a Hmar tribal woman, a mother of three, in Zairawn village near Jiribam on November 7. This was followed by the deaths of 10 more members of the community at Jakuradhor on November 11, allegedly at the hands of security forces. The protesters condemned both the Manipur state government and the central government for their failure to address the ongoing ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

The crowd also demanded the immediate return of the bodies of the 10 deceased, which are currently being held at Silchar Medical College and Hospital in Assam, for proper burial.