Protest against mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals

17th September 2018

Protest against mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals at Delhi University on 17th september 2018

DAMMS in association with 26 others academic, social and political organisations has successfully organised a public protest, a rally and followed by human chain covering the Arts Faculty Campus against the brutal mob lynching of Md Farooque Khan in Tharoijam Village, Manipur at Arts Faculty, Delhi University, North Campus on 17th September 2018.

In the said protest we have addressed the general issue of mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals (manipur muslims). around 350 persons representing various progressive organisations have turned up for the solidarity of this movement against hatred, mob violence, injustice and stereotyping against the minorities.

Several speakers including Ch Kheiruddin Shah, president of DAMMS, Azhar, National Secretary of SIO, Furkan Makakmayum, vice president of MSAD, Chinglen Khummukcham, member of NEFIS, Himat Tampakmayum, academic advisor of DAMMS, Miraj Shah Kori, advisor of NESA, Robert Kamson of ZSUD, Dr Seram Rojesh, ex president of MSAD, Anil, secretary of SFI, Naved, president of MEEM, Shah Nawaz, secretary of KYS, and many others extensively spoke on the issue and unanimously call for a united movement against the oppression and discrimination faced by the minorities of Manipur, of both hills and valley.

Protest against mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals at Delhi University on 17th september 2018

The protest ended with a signature campaign where more than 400 signatures have been collected.

DAMMS STATEMENT

DAMMS strongly condemns the brutal and inhuman mob lynching of Md Farooque Khan in Tharoijam village, under Patsoi police station, Imphal West, Manipur on the 13th of September, 2018. Md Farooque Khan, aged 26 is an MBA and a proprietor of a successful startup company – Palem Foods pvt ltd. On the wee hour of the 13th September, the inhuman mob of Tharoijam lynched Md Farooque khan on an unestablished accusation of vehicle theft.

The incident came to the light on the public when the perpetrators uploaded numbers of pictures and violent video clips of lynching Md Farooque on the Facebook. Those videos clearly suggest an evidence that the lynching was an organised and planned murder. The evidences are: he was even denied a sip of water in his last breath. There were none to stop the mob in their brutal attempt to kill him in the open ground.

He was seemingly put under and tortured in the custody for many hours and dragged out to the open ground and finished him off later in the presence of police. From the video it is heard,’’ these all are Pangals (Muslim), killing them all is the only solution for peace in Manipur’’.

Protest against mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals at Delhi University on 17th september 2018

This horrific and mind boggling incident puts us into the horrific memories of numerous unjustified mob lynching against Pangals in the last few years.

1. On the 12th April 2013, md Sana of Phoudel, Thoubal was lynched by a mob of Yairipok Khoirom when he went there to meet his girlfriend.
2. On the 17th march 2015, a mentally challenged youth Md Lukuman, 27 of Thoubal Moijing was accused of being a thief and lynched by a mob of Heingang Ahallup.
3. On the 2nd nov 2015, a headmaster of a Govt. primary school Md Hasmad Ali aka Babu, 55 of Keirao was lynched by a mob of Uchekon over allegation of stealing a cow.
4. On the 7th april 2016, two young boys Mohd Sadam and Mohd Farook of Lilong were lynched by a huge mob of Mayang Imphal over the allegation of 'trying' to steal a vehicle.
5. On the 14th august 2016, two brothers from Hayellabuk named Md Qudush Khan and Md Firoj, Thoubal were attempted to be lynched at Khangabok on their way to Moreh. And Md Qudush Khan, aged 25 succumbed to death.
6. In December 2017, a mentally challenged person called Khullakpam Ibocha was lynched by a mob in Poiroukhongjil Yairipok on an unestablished theft case.
7. On the 27th february, 2016, a class nine student of Slopeland public school called Md Rafique, 15 of Sora Ching Wangma , Thoubal district was lynched by a mob of Irengband while herding cattle.

DAMMS collectively urge the media house to maintain the professional ethics of journalism and to sensitise the entire issue. It is unfortunate that the fourth pillar of the democracy viz media; the state media has continuously failed to report the incident on an unbiased manner. Every time when such incidents happen, the media houses miserably succumbed to their servile practice of the dominant chauvinistic narratives. Such problematic attitude of media houses has been an impactful agent of social condition of stereotyping and communalism in Manipur.

We also can’t deny the larger role of stereotyping and prejudice against Pangals (Manipuri Muslim) as ‘thieves’ which has been plaguing the Manipuri society since long. Since the Pangals don’t have an organised political and economic power, the most backward community has not been in the position to have any medium of making up a counter narrative based on reason and truths against the dominant and oppressive narratives.

Protest against mob lynching and stereotyping against pangals at Delhi University on 17th september 2018

We highly condemn and question the idea of cultural chauvinism and communal chivalry. Further, we are very much critical of the future that might be built upon this false chivalry and chauvinism against our civilisation of social cohesion. This impunity to kill without question is somehow generated and sustained through this communal chivalry and chauvinism.

For instance, a person can simply be killed in the name of thieve among the Pangals in Manipur. The notion of stigmatisation and stereotypical prejudice that is being attached to the minorities like “san huranba”, “guli chaba”, “gari huranba” are the political tools to subjugate and exploit the oppressed and marginalised.

In many instances in the videos, there has been repeated provocation of killing pangals as the solution for a peaceful Manipur. The videos clearly prove our point that the lynching of Md Farooque khan was a clear case of hatred against Pangals community and a byproduct of long servile stereotyping attitude of majority community against Pangals.

We are also saddened to hear that a Meitei CSO called ‘MESIA’ ( Meitei youth front, south east Asia) in its Facebook post openly defending and giving their advocacy to mob lynching and provoke communal hatred, trying to divide the people of Manipur on the grounds of ‘pangals vs meiteis’. Such chauvinistic organisations must be instantly banned by the state government.

DAMMS strongly believes in the social cohesion and secular credentials of the civilisation of Manipur. Nothing can bogged down us in coming up as a strong flag-bearer of a united and peaceful Manipur.

DAMMS calls for the unity of all the sections of the progressive institutions against hatred, communalism, stereotyping, chauvinism, prejudice and oppression. DAMMS prays for the end of all forms of hate crime and mob lynching in this soil.