Manipur: Muslims livid after militia ‘forces youth to eat pork’ after beating

A Manipuri armed group allegedly thrashed a local Muslim boy and forced him to eat pork for making advances to a Meitei girl recently.

The alleged incident came to light after civil society organisations (CSOs) representing Manipuri Muslims — known as Pangals — took serious exception to the incident, pointing out that such a “malicious act” could sow the seeds of “discord between the two communities”.

Arambai Tengol denies charge

The alleged victim, Tampakmayum Akhtar (18), is a chef at a cafe in Keishampat, Imphal. Members of the Arambai Tengol Heingang Unit allegedly summoned him to their camp, tortured him, and forced him to eat pork, according to the CSOs.

The Arambai Tengol has, however, denied in social media posts that the youth was forced to eat pork and alleged that he had molested the girl. Akhtar has denied molesting the girl, claiming that the entire episode was triggered over a misunderstanding with his female colleague, who worked as a waitress at the café.

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A joke gone wrong?

In a video post, Akhtar claimed that during telephonic conversations with one of his colleagues, he jokingly said that he was in love with the waitress. When the girl came to know about his so-called “feelings”, she got furious and reported it to her brothers, who in turn informed the Arambai Tengol, Akhtar claimed in the video.

The girl gave the Arambai Tengol the café owner’s contact number and, through him, the group sent the “summons” to Akhtar. Akhtar further claimed in the video that when he and the girl went to the Arambai Tengol camp, he was assaulted and forced to eat pork for making advances to a Meitei girl despite being a Pangal.

“Forced statement against Imams”

Akhtar also claimed in the video that he was forced to give a statement that the local Imams at Friday congregations tell community members to marry Meitei girls to spread Islam. The Federal could not independently verify the veracity of the claim. The incident reportedly took place on January 4.

The Anjuman Isla E Musra, the Kwakta Jamiat Ulma Bishnupur District, the All Kwakta Coordinating Committee, the All Meitei Pangal Youth Association, the All Kwakta Youth Voluntary Organisation, and the All-Manipur Muslim Students Organisation (AMMSO) have demanded an explanation from the Arambai Tengol on the incident by January 7 (today).

They called the incident an attack on communal harmony and human rights. “When we look back at history, we see that the Meitei and Pangal communities have lived harmoniously with instances of inter-community marriages fostering unity. However, some fringe elements have engaged in malicious acts to sow discord between these two communities,” the AMMSO said in a statement.

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Unacceptable, says students’ body

The students’ body, questioning the extrajudicial action of the Arambai Tengol, pointed out that if the youth had done anything wrong, he should have been punished following the law. “Is the Arambai Tengol authorized to act as a law-enforcing agency?” it argued.

“Targeting Islam and its principles, along with defaming the Imams of mosques, is unacceptable. The government must ban such vigilante actions by armed groups and ensure that the rule of the law prevails. Failure to address these issues may provoke anger and unrest between the communities,” the AMMSO statement further read.