Caught in the Manipur crossfire: A look at the Meitei Pangals

First CM of Manipur state was a Meitei Pangal. It is a long way since then, with the Muslim community very small compared to Meitei and tribal populations, and confined to a few areas.

The house in Kwakta where two men were found dead. (Express photo)

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On August 6, three Meiteis were killed in Bishnupur district’s Kwakta town, where a Muslim community called the Meitei Pangals make up more than 90% of the population, according to Census 2011. Though they are not directly involved in the conflict between the Meiteis and Kukis, they have been caught in the crossfire.

Kwakta town itself – given its location in Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district’s border with Kuki-Zomi-dominated Churachandpur district – has been at the crosshairs of the conflict for the past three months, leaving at least 12 injured.

But who are the Meitei Pangals, and where do they stand in the context of Manipur’s history and its current conflict?

The Meitei Pangals

The Meiteis are the largest ethnic group in Manipur, making up 53% of the state’s population. More than 80% of the Meiteis are Hindu and just under 10% follow Islam, as per Census 2011.

The first Muslims are believed to have settled in Manipur around the early 17th century. Though some scholars believe there was a small Muslim population in Manipur before the 1600s, the first major wave of Muslim settlement began after a failed invasion of the Manipuri kingdom, then known as Kangleipak.

An army of Muslim soldiers from Sylhet (in present-day Bangladesh) was defeated and captured by King Khagemba, the Manipuri ruler between 1597 and 1652. Khagemba is said to have allowed the soldiers to settle in Manipur, where they eventually assimilated into the local communities, marrying into Meitei families and adopting the Meitei language as their mother tongue.

Muslim migration from Bengal and other regions continued under Khagemba’s reign and continued until the mid-19th century. The Manipuri kingdom employed many Muslims in its military and administration. Muslim soldiers helped repel invasions from Burma in the 18th century and by the British in the 19th century.

manipur map

The descendents of the early Muslim migrants came to be known as Meitei Pangals. Academics disagree on the origins of the term – some claim it is derived from ‘Mangal’, a local variation of the word ‘Mughal’, while others say it is derived from ‘Bangal’, from where they had migrated in several waves.

Meitei-Pangal riots of 1993

Though they have belonged to the same ethnic group for centuries, the Hindu Meiteis and Pangals have clashed in the past, most notably in the 1993 riots.

There are conflicting reports on what sparked off the violence, with most accounts attributing it to actions by Meitei rebels. On May 3, 1993, Meitei mobs attacked Muslim settlements and businesses in the Muslim-dominated area of Lilong in Thoubal district.

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The government put the death toll at around 100, though Pangal groups say it was closer to 140.

Following the riots, in September 1994, the Manipur government granted Other Backward Classes (OBC) status to Meitei Pangals and introduced 4% reservation for them in government jobs and higher education.

Muslims in present-day Manipur

Data from Census 2011 shows that Hindus and Christians make up about the same proportion of Manipur’s population, at 41.4% and 41.3%, respectively. Muslims, including Meitei Pangals, account for 8.4% of the population.

There are four districts with sizeable Muslim populations – Thoubal, Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur. All four of these districts, however, have a Hindu majority.