Many decry abuse of Saroi Khangba rituals
Source: Chronicle News Service

Jiribam, March 17 2024: Large number of Kuki miscreants from Tatbung and surrounding villages kicked and scattered offerings made to the supernatural on the occasion of Saroi Khangba rituals of the Meetei at Leingangpokpi village in Jiribam district on Saturday.

Saroi Khangba is one of the annual rituals of Meetei community conducted on Saturdays of the Meetei lunar month Lamta, the last month of a year.

It symbolises the ousting of evil spirits with offerings made to keep the upcoming year free from evils, and is conducted by women members of every locality.

Videos circulated on social media show large number of Kuki villagers, some armed, surrounding the women folks thereby creating an air of hostility.

As soon as the ritual was completed, the Kuki villagers defiled the offerings by kicking and scattering the items placed while mocking the women.

Different organisations in Jiribam district as well as other parts of the state decried the incident.

Leeching, an apex body of Meeteis in Jiribam condemned the incident in the strongest term and dismissed the clarification issued by Combined Women's Society, a joint Kuki women's organisation of Tatbung, Muktokkhong and Lhangnom villagges, which termed the matter as an act of some children.

In a statement, Leeching said that the video footage circulated on social media clearly shows persons involved in the act.

The silence of some active Kuki organisations like Kuki Inpi and KSO is disturbing by itself, the statement said.

Terming the incident as a deliberate attempt of Kuki community to breach the peaceful atmosphere being maintained in the district since outbreak of the ethnic clash, the demanded Kuki apex bodies to make public the identities of the perpetrators and apologise for their act.

United Jiri Youth League (UJYL) also condemned the incident while calling it as an act of aggression towards Meetei community and its religious belief.

The organisation demanded the government authority to book the perpetrators.

UJYL also condemned Tatbung Village Authority for sharing a misleading claim on its Facebook account regarding the incident by blaming Meira Paibi and CSOs of Jiribam district and demanded the village authority to apologise for their concocted charges.

At the same time, student bodies of Jiribam district including DESAM and KSA said that the act of the Kuki miscreants will only vitiate the unrest situation in the state and demanded the authority to arrest and book the perpetrators as per the law.

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