ALL TRIBAL STUDENTS' UNION MANIPUR
Head Office Imphal

PRESS RELEASE | 27 December 2012

The All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) is shocked at the Christmas gift presented by the Meitei community to the tribal community. Indeed, the tribal community has been greeted with such Christmas gifts on regular basis, thereby causing untold miseries to the tribal communities residing in Manipur. The ATSUM strongly condemned the Napet Chingol incident of 24th December, 2012 in which 13 tribal students were ruthlessly assaulted and tortured. To add salt to the injury a young girl was ruthlessly molested, outraging the modesty of an innocent tribal girl. The ATSUM un-equivocally condemned such inhuman conduct and prefers not to remain a silent spectator to such communal agenda perpetrated by the Meitei community.

It may be recalled that the Meitei community indulges in mass rape of tribal women at Parbung in the past. And again, on December 11, 2011, Mrs Hatkholhing aged 42 was raped and murdered at Yaiphakol, Churachandpur, such incidents have been reported time and again. Why was the Meitei community silent when such shameful incidents occurred? Why were the Meitei community and the Government of Manipur, insensitive towards the sufferings of the tribal community? The atmosphere of insecurity created towards the tribal communities would compel the ATSUM to explore every possible course of action for political survival of the Tribal in Manipur.

The ATSUM also strongly condemned the stone pelting on Tribal Christians, desecration to their place of worship and harassment caused to the Christmas shoppers by Meiteis. Which why their Christmas spirit was fully dampened. This nothing but terrorizing the Tribal communities, sowing the seed of religious intolerance among the various communities living in Manipur.

The ATSUM at this critical juncture, gave a clarion call to the tribal community to stand united against the onslaught of the dominant community in Manpur. It is high time we shed our petty difference and strive for the unity and integrirt of the tribal community. The ATSUM would spare no effort to safeguard the dignity and birth rights of the tribal in Manipur.

(MUAN TOMBING)
President, ATSUM