Meiteis’ Violence on Minority Community Continues Unabated; 3 Muslim Pangal Abducted, Looted

In the most recent case of violence against a minority community in a valley district dominated by the Meiteis, three individuals from Kwakta village in Bishnupur district were reportedly abducted and severely beaten by Meitei miscreants on Monday evening. The victims, all Meitei Pangals, were released on Tuesday afternoon after being robbed of an amount totaling around Rs 11 lakh, according to sources.

The victims, identified as Md Amir (37), Md Abdul Satar (38), and Md Shakir Ahmed (39) from Kwakta village in Moirang, Bishnupur district, were targeted at around 8 pm near Ningthoukhong under Moirang police station. The three victims who were businessmen returning from Lilong were stopped by Meitei armed men, abducted without apparent reason, and later subjected to brutal assault by the armed miscreants. The three victims have been admitted to a clinic in Imphal for further treatment and an FIR has been filed at Phougakchao Ikhai police station related to the incident.

This incident is part of a series where the majority Meitei community has unleashed violence on minority communities within the valley district. The Meitei Pangals and Nagas have often been subjected to brutality by the Meiteis.

Previous incidents include the beating and harassment of four Tangkhul women near Asian Hospital, Imphal, on May 24, 2023, as they were on their way to the airport. On July 15, 2023, a Maring Naga lady was shot dead near the foothills of Keibi Heikak Mapal village in Imphal East district. On December 3, 2023, three Tangkhul men were severely beaten in Sawombung, Imphal. Moreover, on December 8, 2023, two Rongmei women were subjected to violence at the Community Hall in Bishnupur Bazar.

In another incident on December 10, 2023, a member of the Taxi Owners Association Tamenglong was beaten with an iron rod by Meitei individuals over a dispute concerning money collection from a passenger vehicle at Khumbong, Imphal.

The recurring incidents of violence perpetrated by the majority Meitei community on minority groups are deeply concerning and reflective of a disturbing trend in the valley districts. The recent case involving the abduction and brutal assault of three Meitei Pangal individuals in Bishnupur district is yet another instance of the majority community’s brutality against minority communities.