Secular activists denounce violence against Manipur Christians https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/secular-activists-denounce-violence-against-manipur-christians/articleshow/100168864.cms Bella Jaisinghani May 11, 2023,
Speakers including Catholic priest SJ, activists Irfan Engineer and Salim Khan, as well as journalist Niranjan Takle urged Mumbaikars to "stand in solidarity with minorities in other states, lest the danger that has knocked on the neighbour's door arrive at our doorstep."
The speakers unanimously blamed the rise of right wing governments nationwide for the increase in "subjugation and discrimination" against minorities in various states. Fr Fr Frazer Mascarenhas said, "The state governments' deliberate delay in containing violence against minorities, as in Gujarat (2002) and Kandhamal (Odisha, 2008), makes one wonder if the state was complicit in these riots." He said fellow Jesuits who run schools, colleges and medical facilities in Manipur were attacked and forced to flee for their lives.
Niranjan Takle, , alluded to the arrival of members of a saffron outfit named Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram just days before violence erupted in Manipur.
The panelists defended the tribal Christian Kukis and Nagas' opposition to the state's proposal to grant ST status to the majority Hindu Meitei community. Irfan Engineer blamed the state government for disregarding early warning signs of conflict, leading to a major conflagration.