The Delhi Association of Manipur Muslim Students (DAMMS) has strongly condemned the brutal killing of Chesam Abdul Kadir, a differently-abled man whose body was found buried along the Nambul riverbank at Samurou Naorem, Imphal West. In a public statement issued on June 17, the student body described the incident as a grave violation of human dignity and called for the highest level of punishment for the perpetrators.
DAMMS alleged that the crime was committed by members of the Meitei socio-cultural outfit Arambai Tenggol and described it as an attack not just on one individual but on the values of humanity and justice. They expressed outrage that a person with a disability could be targeted in such a violent manner, reportedly over unverified suspicions of theft. The association claimed that the Pangal community, to which Abdul Kadir belonged, is often unfairly stereotyped and dehumanised—leading to widespread indifference when such acts of violence occur.
The statement pointed out that these kinds of attacks are not isolated but reflect a pattern of violence fuelled by systemic prejudice. DAMMS criticised the media and civil society for failing to counter such harmful narratives, accusing them of passively reinforcing the stigma that the Pangal community faces.
While acknowledging the swift arrest of some suspects by Manipur Police, DAMMS called on both the Government of Manipur and the Centre to hand over the investigation to either the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing the need for a fair and impartial probe free from local influence.
The student body also appealed to the people of Manipur to maintain peace, avoid inflammatory rhetoric, and refrain from spreading unverified information on social media. DAMMS President Yumkhaibam Suntiyas urged all communities to remain united and committed to justice, dignity, and harmony, invoking Gandhian and Aristotelian values of restraint and wisdom in times of darkness.