By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
Imphal: Jamiat-ul-Ulema, Manipur (JUM) has appealed the State Government to review the plan for acquiring land inhabited by Muslims and other minority communities at Mantripukhri, in Imphal East District, for setting up a branch of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Ulema body has also condemned the arrest of the protestors. The body has threatened to launch intense agitation if the arrested people, which included a Hafiz, were not released immediately. This was expressed in a press-note released by the Working President of JUM, Hesham Azad on July 26, 2013.
The masjid at Mantripukhr
Azad stated that Hafiz Abdul Kalam, a resident of Mayang Imphal Bengoon, Imphal West district, was arrested by a team of Police from the masjid at Mantripukhri. At that time he was reading Quran. He was engaged by the mohalla for the Ramadan prayers. He was not involved in the altercation that took place between the police and residents of Mantripukhri on July 22, 2013.
On that day police-men entered the masjid with their boots on. They had taken the mike and the battery used for azan. It is sad that the State police force has taken up such condemnable acts against the Muslims in this month of Ramadan. The Chief Minister and the Deputy Minister of the state should look into the matter seriously. We have talked about this issue with the President of All India Jamiat-ul-Ulema Maulana Arshad Madni. If the State Government fails to resolve the issue at the earliest, the matter will be raised at the national level, Azad added.
Azad further said the State authorities had taken up the measurement of land for setting up the RBI branch without giving prior information to the localities of Mantripukhri.
Another body of Jamiat-ul-Ulema, Manipur has also condemned the brutalities meted out by the State police force against the residents of Mantripukhri. The President of this section, Moulana Sayeed Ahmed said the body had organized a meeting on July 26, 2013 at Babupara and discussed the Mantripukhri issue. We resolved to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging him to select another site for the construction of the RBI branch.
All Manipur Muslims (Meitei-Pangal) Welfare Association (AMMPWA) has also urged the Chief Minister of Manipur O. Ibobi Singh, who is also the in-charge of the Directorate of Minority & Other Backward Classes (MOBC), to review the plan for acquisition of the residential areas of Mantripukhri. Secretary of AMMPWA Akhtar Hussain, in his press note, questioned the intention of the Government of Manipur in selecting this particular area, inhabited by Muslims and non-Muslim minority communities, for setting up the RBI Branch instead of utilizing the large tracts of Government khash-lands available at Lamphel-pat, Yaral-pat, slope-lands of Nongmai-Ching, etc.
On July 22, 2013 the officials of Department of Land Settlement led by Deputy Commissioner of Imphal East district R.K. Dinesh visited Mantripukhri area to take up land measurement for setting up the RBI Branch along with a combined team of Imphal East and Imphal West district police commandos. The locals protested against the land measurement. A tussle occurred between the protesting locals and police commandos. Police used tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the mob. The angry agitators burned down a Maruti Gypsy of Imphal West Police Commando. However, measuring of land was done later at around 2 p.m. by the officials of the Land Settlement Department amidst tight security cover. 70 protestors were arrested by the police in connection with the incident.
Mantripukhri is an old residential area, inhabited by economically backward minority communities such as Muslims, Bengalese, Nepalese and Christians. There are around 1000 house-holds.