Manipur: Media persons say their route was blocked en route to Shirui Lily Festival
A media team en route to cover the opening ceremony of the 5th Shirui Lily Festival in Manipur was forced to return after personnel of the MAHAR Regiment and Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly blocked their bus at Gwaltabi in Imphal East district.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, the day when the five-day festival is scheduled to commence in Ukhrul district. The festival is being held for the first time since ethnic violence erupted in the state in May 2023.
On May 8, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla chaired the second organising committee meeting for the festival at Raj Bhavan in Imphal, where key issues including budget allocation, scheduling, security, transport logistics, crowd management, accommodation, cultural programming, and promotional strategies were discussed.
As part of logistical arrangements, the Manipur State Transport (MST) had issued a notice on May 6 announcing dedicated bus services from Imphal to Ukhrul between May 20 and 24. Three buses were to operate between the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Imphal, and Shirui Public Ground, Ukhrul, at a fare of ₹200 per passenger.
According to an order issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur, on May 19, a dedicated transport service for media personnel covering the festival was arranged from the DIPR office at Nityaipat Chuthek, Imphal.
Security on National Highway 202, which connects Imphal East to Ukhrul, has been handed over to BSF and Army personnel ahead of the festival. Although Ukhrul is a Naga-dominated district that remained largely unaffected by the ethnic conflict, a heavy security presence was deemed necessary since Meitei attendees would have to travel through six Kuki-Zo villages Mongneljang, Gwaltabi, Zalenbung, Mongot-Chepu, Litan, and Sareikhong located along the route. Two other villages, Thawai Kuki and Zaolen, are situated nearby.
In a public notice issued on Monday, Ukhrul additional deputy commissioner Polly Makan advised all travellers to use the Yaingangpokpi route between 8am and 4pm.
'Visitors travelling after 4pm will be escorted by security personnel,' and noted that 'no movement will be permitted after midnight to ensure safety and order,' she said.
When contacted, members of the media team claimed that they were being stopped at multiple checkpoints between Imphal and Ukhrul. 'When we reached near Gwaltabi, Imphal East, the BSF personnel told us to remove the 'Manipur State Transport' signage from the bus. We covered the MST markings with paper, but later, another team from the MAHAR Regiment arrived and said the bus could not proceed further,' a member of the media team said.
'We were scheduled to cover the festival's inaugural function at 11am. If we are detained until 10am, how are we supposed to report on the event? We were not going to Ukhrul to have lunch...we were on assignment,' the journalist added.
Eventually, the team hired a private vehicle and returned to Imphal.
The other MST buses were also made to spray-paint on the 'Manipur State Transport' signage and were then allowed to proceed.
Earlier, on March 8, the MST had resumed services following instructions from Union home minister Amit Shah, allowing free movement across all roads in Manipur. However, buses were attacked in Kangpokpi district by Kuki-Zo protesters demanding the suspension of MST services in their dominated areas until their demand for a separate administration, specifically a Union Territory, is fulfilled.
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