1993 Pangal massacre

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1993 Pangal massacre
Part of Religious violence in India
IN-MN.svg
Location of Manipur in India
Date3 May 1993
Location
MethodsKilling, Arson
Parties to the civil conflict
90 to 130 people were killed in the incident

The 1993 Pangal massacre refers to the Hindu-Muslim riot followed by the large scale deaths of the Meitei Pangals (Meitei Muslims), an indigenous Muslim community, and the Hindu Meiteis, who are the majority ethnic group of Manipur, on 3 May 1993. [1] [2] In the past, there has been some land disputes and fear of Bengali Muslim influx. [3]

Contents

Incident

There are conflicting accounts of what started the violence, one account says Hindu separatists tried to buy arms from a Muslim arms smuggler and were rebuffed. Another account says that the Hindu rebels were trying to extort from a Muslim village who resisted and killed one of the rebel. [3] The violence started on 3 May 1993 and continued well into 5 May. Bus containing Muslims passengers were set on fire and clashes took places between Pangal and Meitei. [4] An estimated 90 to 130 people were killed. [5] The Manipur Government worked with the people of Manipur to restore peace in the State following the riots. [6]

Legacy

According to an official of the Indian Government, about a 100 people died in the riots. The commission called for increased security and increasing the compensation award to the victims. [7] The Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum claimed 140 people were killed. Following the Government of India awarded compensation to the victims of the 1984 Punjab riots, the Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum demanded compensation from the government in January 2015 at the Manipur Press Club. [8]

The Day, 3 May 1993, is marked as a black day/Sahidee Memorial Day by the Pangals. Following the massacre the Pangals formed a number of armed militias. [1] The day is observed by All Manipur Muslim Students’ Organization, Pangal (Manipur Muslim) Political Forum, and All Manipur Muslim Girl Students’ Organization. [9]

Related Research Articles

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Manipur is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south. The state covers an area of 22,327 square kilometres (8,621 sq mi). Meitei language is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state, spoken natively by the Meiteis and as a lingua franca by the Nagas, Kukis, Zomis and other smaller communities, who speak a variety of Sino-Tibetan languages. Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years. It connects the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, regions in the Arctic, Micronesia and Polynesia enabling migration of people, cultures and religions.

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Meitei, also known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in parts of neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh. It is native to the Meitei people, and within Manipur it serves as an official language and a lingua franca. It was used as a court language in the historic Manipur Kingdom and is presently included among the 22 scheduled languages of India.

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The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people, is an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur in northeastern India. The Meiteis primarily settled in the Imphal Valley region in modern-day Manipur, though a sizable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. There is also a notable presence of Meitei in the neighboring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Meitei ethnic group represents about 53% of Manipur's population.

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The Meitei Pangals, also known as the Pangals or the Meitei Muslims or the Manipuri Muslims, are a group of Muslims who speak Meitei language as their native tongue. They live mainly in Manipur. The term "Pangal" simply means "Muslim" in Meitei language. Various historical sources have different dates for when Islam first entered Manipur. However, the date all sources seem to confirm as definitive is 1606 AD. The origin of the Pangal community is equally varied.

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References

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  2. Datta-Ray, B. (2006). The Journal of the North-East India Council for Social Science Research. B. D. Ray. p. 76. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 "HINDU-MUSLIM RIOTS KILL MORE THAN 100 IN INDIA". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. New York Times News Service. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. Ahmed, Farzand (31 May 1993). "Naga-Kuki clash: Communal riots rouse temperatures in Manipur". India Today. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  5. Dutta, Anuradha; Bhuyan, Ratna (2008). Women and Peace: Chapters from Northeast India. Akansha Publishing House. p. 78. ISBN   9788183701266 . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. Das, Samir Kumar (2008). Blisters on their Feet: Tales of Internally Displaced Persons in India's North East. SAGE Publications India. p. 208. ISBN   9788132100195 . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  7. "Report of working group of national integration council to study reports of the commissions of inquiry on communal riots" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  8. Press, Imphal Free. "Muslim body seeks compensation for 1993 Meitei-Meitei Pangal riot victims". Kangla Online. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. "Muslims offer prayers for those killed in the 1993 riot in Manipur". TwoCircles.net. Retrieved 1 September 2019.