Protesters lock Central govt. offices in Manipur
The action was concentrated in the State's capital, Imphal, which straddles two of the five districts comprising the Valley.
The protest was announced by a Meitei organisation on May 24, alleging that the Central armed forces insulted the State's identity by masking the words 'Manipur State Transport' on a State-run bus on May 20. The protesters have been seeking Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla's apology for the incident.
Among the offices the protesters locked on Tuesday after overcoming resistance on the way from security personnel were the offices of the Geological Survey of India and the State's Chief Electoral Officer. One of the banners put up at these offices read: 'President's Rule must stop insulting Manipur's identity.'
Mr. Bhalla has been administering Manipur since the President's Rule was imposed on February 13, days after BJP leader N. Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister. He was a casualty of the ethnic conflict that broke out in the State on May 3, 2023, killing more than 250 people.
Governor's apology sought
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei organisation, had announced the civil disobedience movement after the expiry of a 48-hour deadline set for the Governor to apologise for the incident involving the bus carrying a team of media and State information officials from Imphal to cover the Shirui Lily Festival in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district.
At a checkpoint about 25 km from Imphal, the Central armed forces allegedly made the passengers of the bus cover the words 'Manipur State Transport' displayed on the State-run bus. No reason was given, but Meitei organisations said the act 'undermined Manipur's identity, name, pride, and respect.'
Apart from continuing to seek an apology from Mr. Bhalla, the COCOMI-led protesters demanded the resignation of Chief Secretary P.K. Singh, Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh, and Director-General of Police Rajiv Singh, holding them responsible for the incident.
Also read | 48-hour bandh affects normal life in Manipur's Imphal Valley
Congress slams govt.
The Opposition Congress criticised the government over the incident. 'If we cannot use the word 'Manipur' within Manipur, where is our integrity? Who issued orders for the concealment of the signage? They should come out and apologise to the people of Manipur,' former Chief Minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh said.
He also said it was shameful that the Governor, the head of the State, could not travel seven km by road from Imphal's airport to the Raj Bhavan (lined by protesters) in the heart of the city on Monday and had to be airlifted. 'The incident indicates the total failure of the Centre because Manipur is now under the President's Rule,' he added.
Hundreds of protesters formed a human chain along the airport road on Monday in anticipation of the Governor's motorcade after his scheduled landing in a flight from New Delhi, where he attended an investment summit.
He was flown to the iconic Kangla Fort – Imphal's centrepiece – in an Army chopper to avoid the protesters. He travelled about 300 metres from the fort to the Raj Bhavan by road under tight security.
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