Aimol Tribe Union Manipur (ATUM) on Monday condemned the “illegitimate claim” of certain individuals maintaining that Aimols are not an indigenous community of Manipur and further advised people of the state not to take the word of self-styled Aimol Tribe Union leader Akhel Aimol as the word of the entire Aimol community.
“Akhel Aimol used to be the vice president of Kuki Inpi Manipur and his authority in the Aimol union is non-existent. Therefore, we advise people not to take his word as the final say of the entire Aimol community,” ATUM stated.
The union expressed suspicion that self-styled Aimol leader was intentionally trying to drag the small and peaceful community into the violent mix.
Speaking to media at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul, ATUM president S Munthuireng strongly decried and expressed discontentment over the illegitimate assertion of one L Munindro who stated that Aimols are not an indigenous community of Manipur on a local media platform.
“The Aimols are part and parcel to the historical landscape of the Manipuri kingdom. Their services and aid for the kingdom of Manipur are well documented in the ‘Royal Chronicles’ (Cheitharol Kumpaba),” he said.
The union president demanded L Munindro to swiftly retract his unfounded statement and clarify it on the public platform. He stated that the Aimol is one of the smallest Naga communities in Manipur and are not involved in the present turmoil.
“Amid this peaceful stance of the community, the self-styled Aimol leader Akhel Aimol has contradicted the community’s stance and created confusion among the people with his unaccounted statement on local media platforms,” he said.
He highlighted that Akhel Aimol is the vice president of Kuki Inpi for the 2022-2025 term and maintained that Akhel did not have any substantial authority in ATUM or the community in general.
His outrageous statements can malign the image of the entire community and unnecessarily drag the community into turmoil, he added.
He further stated that the Aimol community was a peace-loving community that wished for the present crisis to end swiftly and appealed to all public platforms not to invite people over for talks without proper verification and authentication.
