Guwahati: The Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation has strongly condemned a statement issued by six Chin-Kuki groups on April 9, warning Meiteis against undertaking their annual pilgrimage to the sacred Thangjing Ching (hill), terming it unconstitutional and provocative.
In a statement released on Friday, the foundation likened the threat to preventing Hindus from visiting Kailash Parbat or Muslims from undertaking the Hajj, stressing that the pilgrimage to the hilltop shrine of Ibudhou Thangjing, the guardian deity of the mountains, has been an unbroken tradition since ancient times.
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The foundation alleged that Chin-Kuki militants have, in recent years, tried to obstruct Meiteis from accessing hilltop temples, leading to escalating tensions. Militants reportedly desecrated the sacred Thangjing Ching during the ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur by erecting a Christian cross at the Meitei pilgrimage site and renaming the hill, according to their claims.
Describing the recent threats as an attempt to spark further violence, the Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation accused Chin-Kuki militant groups and their allied civil society organizations of deliberately prolonging the conflict in a bid to sustain demands for separate land.
“The threat undermines the efforts of the Ministry of Home Affairs to maintain peace and facilitate talks,” the statement said, adding that continued inaction by both the central and state governments has emboldened such groups.
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The foundation urged the authorities to take swift and exemplary action against the Chin-Kuki groups behind the statement, warning that failure to do so could escalate tensions and jeopardize communal harmony in the region.