Imphal: Manipuri Muslims are in a state of high-insecurity as they are not safe in their own state where they are being subjected to violent attacks by tribal groups. A string of incidents took place in recent months in which Muslims were killed but most of the cases did not come in the media.
It seems that communalism is fast spreading in Manipur as the state witnessed a number on communal clashes in recent months. In the latest incident a 15 year old Muslim boy was killed in Thoubal district under Lilong Police station. Clash between two groups of neighbouring villages in Nungei area of the district broke out on June 27 that prompted the authorities to impose curfew in the area. The clashes took the life of 15 year old Md. Arif Khan s/o Md Riyajuddin who was a mere by-stander.
Earlier in April a fight was broken out between Muslims and local tribal group in Iram Siphai village. In this unfortunate incident Md Farooque and Md Sadam were brutally beaten to death many youths were seriously injured. Both the sides suffered heavy losses to their properties.
Image credit Imphal Times
Another incident of death reported from Mayang Imphal on June 20 but it did not get due coverage in the Manipur’s mainstream media. The dead was identified as Md. Razak Khan from Mayang area.
In the evening of June 26, when most of the Muslims men went to nearby mosques to offer the special Ramadan prayer, Nungei Meiteis in collusion with the police drove out youths and women from their houses on the road and asking them to fall in up followed by physical torture. The mosque goers came across the scene while returning home from mosques and the objected their act of the tortures leading to a tussle followed by indiscriminate firings from the Meiteis and state forces deployed there which injured some Muslim youths.
Image credit Imphal Times
On April 16, some unidentified persons started firing at Nungei Meirapaibi Loisang Office. The local Muslims also deplored it saying it is not good the area. But, in connection with the incident, a meeting of the some CSO led by Nungei JAC against the firing at the Meirapaibis office held. Soon after the meeting, the main road of LILONG to LEISANGTHEM was blocked with the help of fencing by Meiteis that stop the connectivity of the village with Muslims of surrounding villages. During this blockage, many Muslims passed through the blocked zone out of ignorance who were intercepted and inflicted with several tortures by false many allegation through media thereby trying to create bad images of the Muslims. On seeing such acts of the Nungei Meiteis, Nungei Muslims also erected the fencing and digged trenches in their area on June 8, in order to avert such incidents with an aim of attaining communal harmony by curtailing further unwanted incidents. The Nungei Muslims were also objected from working in their paddy fields and even assaulted them physically. The Nungei Meiteis also used to fire several shots at late nights posing lots of threats to the Nungei Muslims and on the contrary, they are blaming to Muslims.
Some Identified culprits:
1.Kh.Sanjoy Meitei aged about 38yrs s/o kh yaiskul
2.L Mukta singh aged about 40 s/o (L) L. Sekho
3.H.Dinesh Singh aged about 28 yrs s/o Ibocha
- H. Budha singh( Riflemen 4th IRB) aged about 35 yrs s/o (L) H.Tomba
5.Liashram (o) Mrs Premila Devi w/o L. Mukta singh
6.Th. Iboiyaima aged about 45 yrs s/o (L) Th Bijoy singh
7.L. Ranjit singh aged about 38 yrs s/o (L) Gourchan singh
J.A.C. against the brutal killing of Md Arif Khan under the convenor of Md Anwer Husain has submitted memorandum to Chief minister of the state, minister of agriculture& fisheries, IGP& DGP, department of Home, and SP Thoubal distt,dept.
But still no action was taken by the government and concerned authority. An FIR has lodged against the above culprits but so far no arrest or no action has been taken. J.A.C demanded immediate inquiry on the deployed security personals at Nungei by central agency like NIA, arrest of culprits mentioned above as they refused to collect the body of Md Arif khan unless their demands are met.
Muslims in Manipur are stereotyped as thieves, links with Al Qaeda and drug smuggler and mob justice is prevalent in the state especially by majority community. Manipuri Muslims don’t have good socio economic status and low representation in the state assembly i.e only 3 out of 60. Majority community ( Meiteis) takes chance of this weakness and Muslim in Manipur are always suffer every time. The last 20 years have witnessed unprecedented marginalisation of Indian Muslim community in all sphere of life. After the May 1993 riot, Manipur Muslims had been subjected to deprivation, discrimination and marginalisation.
Govt. must take necessary actions immediately so that further unwanted incidents can be prevented and normalcy can be restored. State media should not be biased, civil organisations and other bodies must come together for checking communal virus in the state.
Courtesy: Muslim Mirror