Manipur: Community Leaders Call for understanding amid Rising Violence

IMPHAL: Taragi Cheisu, who witnessed the aftermath of the shocking violence unleashed on two of his brethren from the Poumai community by men who claimed to be from the Meitei community would appeal to all communities to stop generalizing an action of few to an entire group.

Khaidem Mani of Taragi Cheisu is of the view that in every community, one has his share of criminals. It is unfair that all the people in one community are blamed because one criminal has committed something bad. He was afraid of senseless violence and crimes committed by gangs, fueled by the lawlessness the state has been experiencing.

At a press conference in Imphal on Saturday, Mani said that on October 31, two members of the Poumai community were attacked and robbed of ₹61,400 at gunpoint. Despite showing their identities, they were constantly threatened and assaulted.

"Law enforcement agencies should act appropriately against the culprits," Taragi Cheisu said while condemning such violent acts against these persons.

Mani added that the media should report responsibly, encouraging journalists to reflect on the situation of the state and not portray differences among communities.

"We should not define ourselves by our communities, as we live in the same region. The ongoing conflict between two groups can lead to further violence against others. We must confront our challenges together, without separating ourselves by community," he stated.

He reiterated that it is not fair to label the entire community because of a few miscreants. In addition, he stated that pressure is being exerted on business communities and public sector employees for vast sums of money under duress from certain groups, and Manipur cannot allow it to become worse.

Mani appealed to civil society organizations to come together and find collective answers to such issues as part of their social responsibility. According to this appeal, Taragi Cheisu will organize a meeting to discuss solutions to the plight of the people.

It has also criticized the remarks issued by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in an interview some days ago which were about the current scenario in Manipur. Mani showed concerns in the minister's utterances: that grievances pertaining to the situation in Manipur should not be narrated or brought out at all since India may face defamation.

He further commented that the central leadership sometimes tries to simplify the problems of Manipur by mentioning earlier crises only and did not seriously attempt to tackle these problems. He asserts that though the government states its zero-tolerance approach toward terrorism, action against the Kuki militants, targeting civilians in Manipur was missing.

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