New Delhi: The Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) has issued a sharply worded statement condemning the death of a 20-year-old Kuki-Zo woman, describing it as an “institutional murder” resulting from prolonged state apathy, systemic injustice, and failure of the criminal justice system. The young woman, a survivor of sexual violence during the early days of the Manipur conflict in May 2023, passed away on January 10, 2026, after suffering for nearly three years from severe physical and psychological trauma.
In its statement titled “Against State Apathy and Systemic Injustice: On the Tragic Demise of the 20-Year-Old Kuki-Zo Survivor,” BAPSA asserted that the death should not be reduced to a case of medical complications. Instead, the association held the BJP-led Manipur state government and the Union government responsible for presiding over what it termed a prolonged period of lawlessness, ethnic violence, and administrative collapse in the state.
According to BAPSA, the survivor was abducted and subjected to brutal sexual violence by a mob during the outbreak of violence in May 2023. The organisation alleged that sexual violence was used as a weapon of ethnic domination against the Kuki-Zo community, particularly targeting tribal women. Despite the gravity of the crime and the filing of an FIR, BAPSA pointed out that not a single perpetrator has been arrested to date, calling this failure emblematic of deep-rooted institutional bias and deliberate inaction.
The student body argued that the case reflects a broader pattern of structural injustice against tribal and marginalised communities. It accused the state’s legal and executive institutions of functioning as protectors of dominant interests, while survivors and victims are left without redress. BAPSA further criticised the Union government’s public rhetoric on women’s empowerment, stating that slogans such as “Nari Shakti” and “Beti Bachao” stand exposed as empty promises when violence against tribal women continues unchecked.
In strong terms, BAPSA alleged that the Manipur government has effectively allowed armed vigilante groups to operate with impunity, thereby outsourcing violence and creating an environment of fear, displacement, and dispossession for the Kuki-Zo people. The silence of the Prime Minister and the alleged complicity of the Manipur Chief Minister were described as political choices rather than administrative failures, which, according to the association, form part of a larger design of majoritarian dominance and tribal marginalisation.
Reiterating its ideological position, BAPSA stated that the demand for justice for the deceased survivor and the Kuki-Zo community is inseparable from the broader struggle against caste-based and structural oppression. The organisation demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved in the crime and called for a thorough overhaul of the judicial and investigative processes that have allowed the case to stagnate for years.
Expressing solidarity with the Kuki-Zo community, BAPSA said the memory of the young survivor would continue to inspire resistance against injustice and repression. The statement concluded with a call for collective mobilisation under the slogan “Educate, Agitate, Organize,” and ended with the slogans “Jai Bhim” and “Hul Johar,” invoking the legacies of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Birsa Munda.
