Before the situation gets out of control, Uttra Shanglen pleaded with the female tribal Legislator who helped Takhellambam Ramananda leave police custody to have him publicly apologise by Sunday midnight.
On Sunday, Sana Konung Uttra Shanglen demanded that Reverend Takhellambam Ramananda apologise in front of the public for demeaning the indigenous Sanamahi faith and offending its adherents in Manipur.
Who is pastor Takhellambam Ramananda who insulted Sanamahi faith in Manipur
In addition, Uttra Shanglen encouraged the female tribal Legislator who helped Ramananda leave police custody to demand a public apology from him by Sunday midnight in order to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
What did Uttra Shanglen claim?
Addressing the media at Uttra Shanglen’s Palace Complex, maichoupurel of Sana Konung Uttra Shanglen Ngariyambam Kangjiya Mangang said that it is against Indian law to insult and injure any religion’s sentimental values. “The recent remarks of T. Ramananda are a blatant violation of such key beliefs, and as such, he should be penalised appropriately,” he claimed. “India is a secular society which fosters respect and esteem among different religions,” he stated.
Such racial and disparaging remarks, he said, should be dealt with appropriate responses. Although Ramananda is by birth a Meetei/Meitei, Kangjiya said that Ramananda’s behaviour and remarks against his own people in a recent video that leaked online are very upsetting. Kangjiya further asserted that Ramananda, who had been detained by police as a result of public outcry, had been whisked out of custody by a female tribal MLA and had been missing ever since.
In a culturally varied area like Manipur, he claimed, “Peace and love is the ultimate message of all religions. That message is the sole principle that should be advocated.” Kangjiya emphasised that residents of the state had coexisted for thousands of years and argued that it is a crime against humanity to so violently sever relationships between groups of people.
He pleaded with the Meitei/Meetei community not to exaggerate the situation and demanded that the tribal MLA force Ramananda hand himself in and apologise to the community. Also, Kangjiya urged citizens to abstain from such polarising behaviours that could damage their reputations and enlisted their help in promoting state unity.