New Delhi: A young woman from the Kuki tribe of Manipur, who had been kidnapped and gang-raped during the peak of the ethnic violence in the state that broke out in May 2023, died on January 10 of an illness that reports say was aggravated by her injuries.Various Kuki organisations have demanded justice for the woman who did not live to see justice done to those accused of perpetrating the crime, which was done when she was 18 years old. The groups have said that while she escaped her attackers, she did not recover physically or mentally. At the time of her death, the woman was undergoing treatment in Guwahati, PTI has reported.The violence in the state has divided it along ethnic lines. Manipur has seen at least 260 deaths since 2023 and is currently under President’s Rule.Several organisations accused authorities of inaction and demanded that her death be officially recognised as having resulted from the violence.In a statement, the Kuki group Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) said, “Her death is yet another painful testimony to the ruthless manner in which the Kuki-Zo people have been targeted.” The Kuki-Zo people now have no other option but to demand a separate administration “for our safety, dignity, and survival”, said the ITLF. A candlelight procession was held in her honour on the evening of January 17 at Churachandpur.In a conversation with NDTV in July 2023, the woman had said that she had suffered the crimes in the hands of men from the Meitei community. She said that she had escaped with severe injuries and as the state continued to be roiled by violence, she managed to file a police complaint only on July 21, two months since the sexual assault.The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) has alleged that despite the seriousness of the crime and repeated appeals by civil society organisations, no meaningful action was taken against the perpetrators. While her case was transferred to the CBI on July 22, 2023, no arrests have been made.“We categorically assert that her death must be officially recognised as resulting from the violence committed against her in 2023. Any attempt to treat it otherwise would amount to a denial of justice and an erasure of responsibility,” the group’s Delhi and National Capital Region wing said.The KSO also called upon the Union government for separate administration.The Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum based in the Delhi and National Capital Region said that the woman will be remembered for her resilience and courage. “For nearly three years, she carried pain that no human being should ever have to bear,” it was quoted by PTI as having said.Speaking to Newslaundry, the woman’s mother said that because of her physical injuries she had developed breathing problems, was deeply affected and lived in constant fear.“It was the trauma and the injuries inflicted on her that affected her health. Over the last two years, she developed a prolonged illness because of what was done to her,” she said.The news outlet noted that she had to undergo multiple procedures because of her injuries, most recently a surgery in Guwahati on October 25 last year.The violence in Manipur saw the use of sexual violence across the state. A video of two Kuki women being paraded naked in 2023 by a mob had garnered the outrage of the entire country.Last week, it was reported that former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh met Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the restoration of an elected government in the crisis-hit northeastern state.According to The Hindu, the January 16 meeting, which lasted an hour at Shah’s residence, focused on creating a “conducive environment” and “ironing out complexities” required to revive the state assembly. Quoting sources, the Hindu report suggested that the meeting marks the second high-level meeting between the two leaders in a month.Singh and Shah had last met at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Delhi when the working party president Nitin Nabin was to assume charge on December 15. The Union government is reportedly aiming to form a popular government before February 13, 2026.