Kuki Community Observes Black Day ‘Sahnit Ni’ in Churachandpur

The Kuki community observed Black Day, ‘Sahnit Ni’, in Churachandpur district of Manipur on Sunday.

The day commemorates the tragic events of September 13, 1993, specifically the infamous Joupi massacre in Manipur, in which more than 100 Kuki civilians were killed in a single day.

The commemoration was organised under the theme, “Lest We Forget — Seeking Justice and the Way Forward.”

Gun salutes were paid in honour of those who were killed. A condolence prayer was also held for the victims and their families, while floral tributes were offered at the monument site at the Kuki Inpi Churachandpur complex. Different civil society organisations and student bodies participated in the commemoration.

Business establishments and educational institutions remained closed for the day. Several households hoisted black flags at their respective homes to mark the occasion.

Kuki Inpi Manipur spokesperson Sasang Vaiphei said the day was observed in remembrance of those who lost their lives and as a call for justice and peace.

“The Kuki people across the country observed Kuki Black Day in solemn remembrance of more than 950 Kuki lives lost during the violence involving NSCN-IM,” Sasang said.

“We remember them not with hatred but with sorrow. We remember them not to open divisions, but because their lives matter. We remember them because genuine reconciliation cannot be built on forgotten pain,” he said.

On this day in 1993, 108 Kuki villagers from Joupi, Gelnel, Santing and Nungthat were brutally killed in an attack attributed to Liangmai Naga individuals and NSCN-IM cadres.

“For the Kuki people, this remains a deeply painful chapter of our history. It is remembered as ‘Sahnit’, a traditional practice of mourning those who died in the most grievous circumstances and seeking justice for them,” Sasang said.

“For more than 30 years, Kuki families have borne this grief and continued to ask for justice. Yet, despite the passage of three decades, meaningful closure has remained elusive.

“For the past two years, Kuki people have chosen to observe the day as a day of prayer. We pray for lasting peace and reconciliation between the Naga and Kuki communities, and that has remained our sincere hope till today.

“Yet, the recent attacks and killings of Liangmai individuals and NSCN-IM cadres have opened old wounds and brought back painful memories.

“At the same time, we have witnessed significant attention being given to the loss of six Liangmai Naga lives, while the memory of more than 950 Kuki lives has received far less recognition. We raise this concern not to compete over suffering, but to call for equal humanity.

“Kukis do not dismiss the loss of a single Liangmai life. Every life is a tragedy, every grieving family deserves compassion, and every victim deserves dignity and justice. Justice for another community does not require forgetting the suffering of another.

“For more than 30 years, we have observed Black Day and asked for justice for the souls we lost. Yet, we have not received the meaningful response that grieving families have hoped for.

“We therefore ask, with humility but also with a clear conscience: Can there be lasting peace without acknowledging the pain of all victims? Can there be genuine reconciliation without truth and justice?

“We believe the answer is no. But we also believe that reconciliation is possible,” Sasang said. He said the remembrance was not directed against the Naga people.

“We reject hatred, collective blame and revenge. We do not want future generations of Naga and Kuki children to inherit the wounds of the past. We want them to inherit peace. That is why we remember.

“We demand truth and continue to seek justice, not as an instrument of revenge, but as a pathway towards healing.

“Observing Black Day is not our choice. It is a consequence of unresolved grief and incomplete justice. But we hope that, through truth, understanding and justice, the need for such mourning will eventually give way to a shared future for our people,” he added.