Manipur: Meitei-Pangal Man Found Dead, Arambai Tenggol Admits Members Were Involved

New Delhi: Abdul Kadir, a 22-year-old man from the Meitei-Pangal community who had gone missing on June 11, was found dead and buried in Imphal West on June 17. The militia group Arambai Tenggol have acknowledged that its members were involved in the murder with a statement.  

Kadir's body was found after police exhumed his body on June 17. His uncle, Najir Khan, had filed a missing person complaint at Wangoi Police Station on June 11. 

Manipur has been under president's rule since February this year, but the state which broke into grave ethnic violence in 2023 is far from peaceful. Over 25 months of ethnic violence that has left over 260 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. While the state administration claims that the law-and-order situation has improved, incidents like this challenge this idea.

Abdul Kadir. Photo: By arrangement.

Kadir was a resident of Paobitek Mayai Leikai in Imphal West and a member of the Muslim Meitei-Pangal community. He had a government-issued ‘65% mentally disabled’ certificate, the United Meitei Pangal Community (UMPC) said. They also said that Kadir's is a BPL or below poverty line family. His mother Mina Bibi works as a vegetable vendor.

In a press note issued on June 17, Arambai Tenggol confirmed that some of their members, including those from their Quick Response Team Unit 27, were "reportedly involved" in the death. Arambai Tenggol cited no reason behind their involvement. It said:

“At present, it has come to light that a person named Chesaam Abdul Kadir of Paobitek Mayai Leikai has been killed. Following this, some individuals from Yumnam Huidrom Makha Leikai and some members of the Yumnam Huidrom residing in the AT Unit 27 QRT area have reportedly been involved. The police are currently investigating the case.”

The statement further reads, “Meanwhile, some members of this QRT team have already surrendered to the police. Arambai Tenggol expresses full cooperation with the police for the ongoing investigation and legal procedures.”

“We also sincerely appeal to the general public, especially our Meitei and Meitei Pangal brothers and sisters, to refrain from communalising the issue and to maintain peace and harmony.”

Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei armed group, has been named in a significant number of first information reports related to violence, abductions, and arson in the valley districts which were registered over the past year.

The Manipur Police, in a post on X, said:

“In the follow-up of the missing case of Chesam Abdul Kadir... further investigation revealed the death of the missing person and burial somewhere. The dead body was exhumed today [June 17] in the presence of an executive magistrate, forensic team, and family members. A criminal case has been registered. Nine suspects have already been arrested... All culprits involved will be brought to justice.”

Sources present on the ground told The Wire that the nine suspects arrested by the police on June 17 are all members of Arambai Tenggol. To verify this and several other claims, The Wire reached out to Manipur Police, but was directed to refer to the official Manipur Police note.

Protests by the Meitei Pangal community. Photo: By arrangement.

Protests have erupted across Muslim localities in the state, demanding justice. The situation remains tense but under control, with police urging the public not to believe in rumours and to cooperate with the investigation.

The United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC) called the act “barbaric” and a gross violation of the constitutional and human rights protections for the disabled.

They have demanded the immediate arrest of all remaining perpetrators, capital punishment for the accused, application of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for murder, abduction, and confinement against them, invocation of provisions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, transfer of the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and ex-gratia compensation and rehabilitation of Kadir’s family.

On June 13 and 14, the Manipur Police in its efforts to restore peace, had recovered over 300 looted weapons, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, grenades, and explosives in a joint overnight operation in several valley districts.

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