New Delhi: Nearly three years after she was allegedly abducted, brutally assaulted and gang-raped during the early days of ethnic violence in Manipur, a young Kuki woman succumbed to complications that her family firmly believes arose from her injuries. Her death took place on January 10, 2026. Members of her family spoke to reporters in New Delhi today, January 22, of unanswered questions, an endless wait for justice and indignation with the system.The woman never fully recovered from the trauma she endured in May 2023, her family has said. Her death has reignited demands for a separate administration for the Kuki community, with community leaders and family members pointing to the restrictions on movement that, they say, ultimately cost her her life.Family members told The Wire that the woman’s chances of survival could have been very different had she been allowed access to proper medical treatment in Imphal, the state capital. In Manipur, which is divided by ethnic violence, movement remains heavily restricted. Meiteis cannot safely travel to the Kuki-majority hill districts, and Kukis are effectively barred from accessing Imphal, including its major hospitals. This is the situation on the ground despite claims otherwise from the likes of Union home minister Amit Shah.As a result of these restrictions, the woman’s treatment had to be done outside the state, in Guwahati of neighbouring Assam. Her family said that her health continued to deteriorate over time as complications from her injuries compounded. An Imphal resident, the woman was also displaced as a result of the strife. The family said that the prolonged displacement, lack of consistent care, and absence of state accountability only deepened her suffering.The copy of the first information report that the woman had filed, accessed by The Wire, has harrowing details of what she endured in the initial days of the violence. According to the complaint, she was abducted by four men in a white Bolero in Imphal on May 15, 2023, assaulted by a mob, and later taken to isolated locations where she was repeatedly beaten, threatened with death, and gang-raped by armed men.“I even told them that I would never return to Imphal. I just asked them to let me go so that I could meet my parents, but they did not listen,” the deceased woman wrote in the FIR.The FIR further states that the four accused took her to a hilltop, where they argued among themselves about whether to kill her. During this altercation, one of them allegedly struck her, causing her to fall down the hill. She was later rescued by a Meitei Pangal auto-rickshaw driver.Despite the gravity of the allegations, registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code including gang rape, attempt to murder, and provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, progress in the case has been painfully slow.Gouhao, a cousin of the deceased, told The Wire, “As far as I know, only once did officials come to record her version. I don’t know if this is because we are minorities.”Gouhao said that his cousin had been a beautician and dreamt of opening a beauty parlour at Imphal one day. Those dreams died before she did, he added, recounting how deeply she was traumatised in the aftermath of the crimes that were perpetrated on her.A medical student, Gouhao noted that he was close to her cousin and often shared how shaken she was. “When she would close her eyes, she would say that she would see their faces,” he said.Gouhao has travelled to Delhi to participate in a press meet organised by The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) Delhi and NCR. The body has urged the government of India to recognise the woman’s death as a consequence of conflict-related sexual violence and sought a time-bound, independent investigation with the arrest of all accused.The organisation also demanded accountability of officials who failed to act and comprehensive justice, protection, and rehabilitation for all Kuki survivors of sexual violence.Shila, another cousin, shared more about the medical conditions that the woman had grappled with. Speaking to The Wire, Shila said, “She developed insomnia and severe trauma. She used to scream out loud and became increasingly isolated. Whenever she saw a white Bolero, she would break down. She also suffered from memory loss, but whenever her memories returned, she would say she was living in her last nightmare. Toward the end, she would say that while her body was alive, her spirit had already been killed back in 2023 itself.”The Wire is not using Shila and Gouhao’s full names in order to protect their identities and the victim’s.On February 13, Manipur will complete a year under President’s Rule. Since May 2023, more than 270 people have been killed in violence affecting both Meitei and Kuki communities, as well as members of security forces, and the unrest has displaced over 60,000 people. While the number of deaths has slowed since President’s Rule was imposed, it continues to rise.