Don't insult whole community : Pangals
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 01 2023:
Condemning the increasing accusation and public insult on the Pangal community amid the ongoing violence in Manipur, the Delhi Association of Manipur Muslim Students (DAMMS) and All Manipur Muslim Students' Organisation (AMMSO) have asked why the State Government is still silent and not taking up any legal measure against the hate-mongers to end the conspiracies.
In a joint statement, DAMMS and AMMSO said that earning to meet daily needs has become uncertain for the people of Manipur especially daily wage earners.
Saying that daily wagers have to come out to earn money against all odds in a tense and uncertain environment as they have no other source of income, it maintained that their fate have also become more and more uncertain as the violence gets prolonged.
Claiming that the Pangal community has been accused of kidnapping children, trading with Kukis, helping the Kukis etc amid the ongoing conflict, the two organisations reasoned that wrongdoers exist in both communities but blaming the whole community for the fault of some is very wrong.
Claiming that Pangals have become an easy target for some section of Meiteis by trying to humiliate and blame the whole community for almost anything unwarranted happening in the valley of the State, DAMMS and AMMSO admitted that black sheep (s) exist in every community and they have to be identified and get them penalised accordingly.
Blaming and humiliating the whole community for some individuals' faults is wrong, it added.
It, however, has become a routine for some sections of the people to target the Pangals by producing false narratives and then post the same on social media platforms to draw large public attention, DAMMS and AMMSO added.
Saying that Pangals have been standing firm against the violence and putting in every effort possible to restore peace despite repeated provocations to join the violence, the two organisations maintained that Pangals are engaged in serving the administrative lacuna of the State due to mass transfer of Meitei employees from hills to valley and have been transporting goods along the National Highways.
It then asked why targeting of Pangals is becoming a routine affair in Manipur and why some local media are publishing controversial news items without fact-checking.
DAMMS and AMMSO also asked why the Meitei civil society organisations remain silent and are not doing anything to clear the doubt between the two communities.
Why are the Pangal CSOs not being able to come out and seek clarification and apologies when the community gets insulted repeatedly, it further asked.