The Manipur Students Association Delhi (MSAD) has been opposing the Manipur government’s recent decision to introduce Sanskrit in some schools and colleges describing it as an attempt to ‘impose’ the language. Two executive members of the MSAD were arrested by a combined team of Manipur police and Delhi police on December 9 from Chanakyapuri area in the national capital after they issued a statement calling Brahmins ‘b*stards’.
The two members who were released on bail yesterday were arrested on the charges of disturbing communal harmony. They were brought to Imphal by the police for interrogation. The students have been identified as Singhajit Thokchom, secretary general of the MSAD, and Kenedy Moirangthem, secretary of the MSAD. Kenedy Moirangthem had signed the derogatory statement.
Court grants bail to MSAD members considering their academic career
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Imphal West granted bail to the two MASD members. The CJM took notice of the fact that two were college students studying in the 5th semester of B.Com. and have exams commencing on December 13. The CJM observed that keeping them in custody would amount to ruining their career. The court also noted that the students were first-time offenders and their chances of absconding were negligible.
The court released the two with the condition that they should not threaten, contact or induce any of the prosecution witness. They have directed by the court to be present for interrogation by the police as and when required. They need prior permission of the court for leaving Manipur till the trial is over.
The MSAD called Brahmins ‘b*stards’
The MSAD had registered a strong opposition to the Manipur Education Minister’s announcement regarding introduction of Sanskrit in selected schools and colleges of the state. As we had reported earlier, on November 20, 2020 the association had released a press statement describing the government’s decision as an attempt to impose Sanskrit in Manipur in the interests of a particular community.
In the press statement, the MSAD had said that the ‘RSS-oriented government of Manipur’ was trying to impose Sanskrit as a subject in schools and colleges. “Sanskrit texts are too malicious to be taught to the students of Manipur where not a single word of it is inherited to the mother tongue of the indigenous population. The government exposes its stupidity by trying to impose Sanskrit which is based on hatred, rime, untouchability, sexism, domination, chauvinism, as we know what the upper caste Hindu Brahmins are.” the statement read.
The statement read, “Imposing an alien language upon the indigenous people is completely a sign of colonisation. There are above 30 dialects spoken by the indigenous people of Manipur most of which are about to be extinct lest measures are taken up to continue their existence.” Furthermore, they had called Hindu Brahmins ‘bastards’. It stated, “No doubt that this government is blind enough to not to see such sight but obedient enough to be acceptable to their colonial master, the Indian empire’s upper-caste Hindu Brahmins, the b*stards… The recent announcement by a so-called Education Minister of the puppet regime submissive to the Brahmins, that Sanskrit subject will be introduced in the curriculum of schools and colleges in the colony is highly condemnable.”
The MSAD said that this was an attempt to ‘enslave the people of Manipur academically and linguistically in furthering India’s process of colonialism against Manipur’. The association had later released another statement clarifying that it regretted using the word ‘Bastard’ and others. It said that it was not against any particular community or religion. An Imphal bases group had filed a complaint against the MSAD after the press statement. The police had invoked sections 153A, 504, 505(2) and 34 of the IPC.