Mubasir Raji

On August 1, on a visit to a relief camp in Imphal East, the boys from border town Moreh said the only thing they missed hard was playing football at the local football ground. They were playing football on May 3 right before the breakout of riots with the neighbouring Kukis. The ethnic clashes in Manipur were so sudden that people who managed to escape the violent mobs had nothing but the clothes they wore.

Ground Report

Even though the boys were playing football together earlier in the day, be it in Imphal,  Moreh, or Churachandpur by the evening of May 3, reports of arsons first from Torbung and other places were all over social media. Arson, loot, and arms snatching from the police stations became rampant by the night. Rumors spread like wildfire. These are the reasons why people wanted to arm themselves up, in self-defence.

Insecurity combined with the rumours created an atmosphere in which people started viewing members from other communities with hatred and suspicion.

People belonging to the Kuki Zo community living in Imphal left everything – and the same goes for Meitei in Churchanpur and Moreh - to reach a safe hideout. Most of the Kuki Zo people lived in mixed localities. They realized Assam Rifles camps, nearest Army camps or 1st or 2nd MR camps of state police will be a safe place. They thought of reaching Imphal International Airport as the best option. However, for many of them reaching the airport is still a long way journey. Violent mobs are everywhere on the streets, and roads. The agitated mobs had set up roadblocks, they subjected people to frisking and checking of vehicles.

Suspected vehicles were burnt down by violent mobs. In mixed localities, the vulnerable people took shelter at the houses belonging to Muslims or the Nagas. Even many Meiteis helped Kuki Zo people in escaping and running away. However, the atmosphere was so charged up that it would not be safe for a Meitei family to shelter them. The internet was replete with news from the Kuki-dominated Churchanpur and Moreh about the attacks on the Meitei. All this made it difficult for a Meitei to give shelter to a Kuki.

Houses on fire in a Manipur area (File)

In the beginning, people belonging to the Naga tribe also feared for their lives because of their distinct facial features. So they felt it would be safer for them to take shelter in mixed localities like New Lambulane, an area dominated by Meitei, Pangals (Muslims), or Manipuri Muslims.

May 4 was often regarded as one of the most violent days in the five months of continuous violence in the State. By this time mobile internet service remained suspended, central security forces were yet to be deployed at full scale, and police men were often far and few to be seen. None of them had their service guns, probably due to reports of gun-snatching. In such a scenario the most vulnerable people were the ones who were isolated from their community.

Young boys and girls belonging to the Kuki Zo community are often employed at Car Wash centers, hotels restaurants hospitals, and clinics in Imphal. When the violent riot broke out suddenly, they hoped to find some kind-hearted Meitei who could help them contact a Pangal Auto driver or a nearby Muslim locality.

In a scoop, the Quint portal reported the ordeal of a 19-year-old rape victim. She said it was a ‘Pangal Muslim’ driver who hid her inside a pile of vegetables to deceive her tormentors. The news was also picked up by other media outlets.

Pangals played a similar role in Moreh, an international border town. When ethnic clashes broke out many Meiteis took shelter at a Muslim locality in Moreh before being rescued or shifted to safer places. Some of them crossed the border and found shelter in Myanmar. However, the situation deteriorated on 21 June when an IED exploded at a Muslim locality of Kwakta in Bishnupur district. The IED was planted at a Culvert on the road connecting the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district and the Kuki-dominated Churchanpur district. Three young Muslim boys sustained injuries in the blast. Now for the first time, Pangals were at the receiving end. Anguish and fear among the community are growing, said Rafi Shah, an assistant professor from Kwakta.

By this time Pangals and Naga tribes had emerged as peace brokers. However, due to the complexity of the issues, peace is still a distant dream in Manipur. Nevertheless, Pangals established themselves as the only community that could travel to Kuki-dominated areas from the valley.

Journalists, fact-finding teams, politicians, and NGOs traveling to the state have to hire a Pangal driver or a guide after landing at Imphal International Airport. There is only one airport in the State. Senior politician Sitaram Yechury of CPI after visiting the state revealed “Muslims are the safest”.

All the Meiteis who were earlier posted as Manipur government officials at Kuki inhabited areas have now already been replaced either by a Pangal or a Naga. Naga tribesmen have been inhibited from being posted at Kuki-dominated areas because of the violent past.

Rapid Action Force personnel  on a Manipur road

Pangal civil society organizations and its apex body All Manipur Muslims Organizations Co-coordinating Committee (AMMOCOC)  are against the demand of Kukis for a separate administration. AMMOCOC President SM Jalal said Pangals stand for the unity and integrity of the state, and they are against the idea of division of the state. Instead of being limited to political rhetoric, Pangals held public demonstrations and rallies calling for unity and integrity of the state.

ALSO READ: Kuki-Meitei divide must be bridged at the earliest

Such a clear-cut stand about the unity and integrity of the state however may not go down well with the people who are asking for separate administration. As emotions are running high these days so are the suspicions. The main issue faced by the community at the moment is that Pangal officers are still posted at Kuki-dominated areas like Churchanpur and Moreh even though Pangal mainly resides in the valley and the community is boldly calling for the Unity and integrity of the state. For official or business-related activities Pangals are still traveling to Kuki-dominated areas. Even though Pangals bear the brunt of the collateral damage from the ethnic clashes, they established themselves as an inseparable community for the state. For Pangals now peace is not only required for the well-being of the state but also in the utmost interest of the community itself.

(The writer is a freelance journalist extensively covering Manipur violence.)