Mohammed Chengiz Khan, a Manipuri Ph.D. scholar of JNU was arrested by the Manipur police for writing an article criticizing state government's discrimination of Muslims in the state of Manipur. The article was titled “Political ploy to push Muslims into marginalization”. The article was in regard to the Pangal community Muslims who have been evicted by the state and left to suffer amidst a global pandemic. He has been slapped with serious charges under section 124A, 153A, 505, 120B IPC for writing this article and has been put under 6-day Police custody in Imphal.

On the 2nd July 2018, to drive out the Meitei-Pangals (Musalman); the eviction of Meitei Pangals settled at Kshatri Bengoon Mamang Awangching of Imphal East District happened, on the charge that they have illegally encroached into reserve forest area, rendering them to live lives of destitute without shelter. Almost 400 Pangals were affected by the move. Chingiz khan’s article criticising this unjust and discriminatory move of the government towards the Muslim community put him behind bars.

Chingiz khan quotes in his article “Further, another unfortunate thing is the attempt of the government to take over the buildings, homesteads and agricultural lands of the minority Muslims at Mantripukhri area, in the name of constructing quarters of MLAs. Despite expressing opposition to the exercise of the government, the state wrongly utilized the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetlands Act 2014 on the plea that there should not be settlements in lands meant for agriculture. However, there are no processes of eviction of similar settlements at Ngariyan, Mayai Lambi, Tiddim Road, Babupura and other parts of Manipur……These acts should be termed as a complete violation of the right to live against Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The same declaration provides the rights for settlement and to engage in activities of livelihood”.

The Manipur state government’s illegal occupation of land and its incapability to rehabilitate the people evicted by the state government to a proper place and to provide them their rightful daily needs of food and clothing during a global pandemic reflects the Islamophobic and anti-Muslim hatred conscience it carries. In the center, the BJP government has been coming after Muslim activists since the anti CAA/NRC protests began.

The act of Manipur police and government to arrest Chengiz Khan for writing an article about the marginalization of Muslims is a coward and another attempt of suppressing voices of dissent. This is in continuation with the state-witch hunt of Student activists, especially from the Muslim community who are in forefront of the struggle for social justice. We demand an immediate release of Chengiz Khan by revoking all the illegal charges sanctioned on him.