1993 Pangal massacre
The 1993 Pangal massacre refers to the massacre in Pangal, an indigenous Muslim community in Manipur, India, by the Meitei people, who are the majority ethnic group of Manipur and are largely Hindu, on 3 May 1993. Background. The North-Eastern region of India has not seen religious violence between Hindus and Muslims, which are relatively more in Northern India. Although, there has been some land disputes and fear of Bengali Muslim influx. The Pangal community settled in the region in the 17th century. Their name could either be strength in Meiteilon or the way Meiteilon pronounce  Bangal referring to Bengali people. Incident. There are conflicting accounts of what started the violence, one account says Hindu separatists tried to buy arms from a Muslim arms smuggler and were rebuffed. Another account says that the Hindu rebels were trying to extort from a Muslim village who resisted and killed one of the rebel. The violence started on 3 May 1993 and continued well into 5 May. Bus containing Muslims passengers were set on fire and clashes took places between Pangal and Meitei. People were killed in the roads; homes and shops were burned down. An estimated 90 to  130 people were killed. The State Government worked with the tribes of Manipur to restore peace in the State following the riots. Legacy. According to the official Indian Government Commission, about a 100 people died in the riots. The commission called for increased security and increasing the compensation award to the victims. The Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum claimed 140 people were killed. Following the Government of India awarded compensation to the victims of the 1984 Punjab riots, the Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum demanded compensation from the government in January 2015 at the Manipur Press Club. The Day, 3  May 1993, is marked as a black day/Sahidee Memorial Day by the Pangals. Following the massacre the Pangals formed a number of armed militias. The day is observed by All Manipur Muslim Students’ Organization, Pangal (Manipur Muslim) Political Forum, and All Manipur Muslim Girl Students’ Organization. Scroll India referred to the incident as the "First Major rupture" in communal relations in the Manipur State.