Breakthrough likely in the fresh row brewing in Manipur after Centre meets key outfit
The row over covering of the word 'Manipur' on a state transport bus a few days ago, which has led to a fresh round of protests in the state, reached Delhi on Tuesday.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which is spearheading the protests in Imphal and has been demanding resignation of senior officers over the issue, met senior Union Home Ministry officials.
On Monday, the protests had forced Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla, who was returning from Delhi after a meeting, to take a chopper to his residence from the Imphal airport. Congress state president K Meghachandra Singh said the incident showed the failure of President's Rule in the state.
The seven-member COCOMI delegation, led by its convenor Khuraijam Athouba, met the Home Ministry's North East Advisor A K Mishra and Intelligence Bureau Joint Director Rajesh Kamble.
Athouba told The Indian Express: 'We had a good talk. We spoke about various issues, including our engagement with the government over the Manipur situation, our opposition to giving legitimacy to SoO groups (the groups with which the government has reached suspension of operations agreements) and the problem of narco-terrorism in the state. We also told them about the sentiment in the Valley over the current row. They said they would convey the same to the government. We hope the government will take action.'
While the COCOMI has been seeking resignations of the DGP, Chief Secretary and Advisor to the Manipur government, sources said the Centre may not cede more than a statement of regret over the issue. Sources within the Meitei civil society also indicated that an apology could bring the anger in the Valley down.
The row stems from a May 20 incident when security forces allegedly stopped a state-run bus, which was carrying journalists to cover the Shirui Lily festival in Ukhrul district, near the Gwaltabi checkpost and forced Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staffers to cover the state's name written on the windshield with a white paper. In the Valley, this was seen as an insult to the state.
The festival itself was a big moment for the administration in Manipur, run by the Home Ministry under President's Rule, as it was the first time it was being held since the start of the conflict in the state in May 2023. Transport of participants from the Valley to the neutral Naga territory where the festival was held required passing through three Kuki settlements. It was to be the first major movement of the Meities to the area in two years.
Home Ministry sources told The Indian Express Tuesday that the row was unfortunate and that, contrary to what is being alleged, the security forces had not asked for covering the 'Manipur' word on the bus.
'In fact, the security forces were not allowing the bus itself to go ahead since there are restrictions on plying of state transport buses through Kuki areas… The organisers of the trip suggested that the 'Manipur' marking on the bus be covered with white paper so that the bus could go ahead. When this was being done, the journalists sitting in the bus protested and a row erupted,' an official said.
The official added: 'After the DIPR decided to take journalists to the Shirui Lily festival, it asked the Transport Department to hire a bus. Ideally, private transport should have been hired. But the state bus was sent.'
Resumption of mobility between the Meitei and Kuki areas had been one of the promises made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after the imposition of President's Rule, with a deadline of March 8 set for it. However, the very first day, a Manipur state transport bus passing through Kangpokpi, a Kuki-dominated district, had been attacked and even fired upon. Since then, Manipur State Transport buses have not been plying in Kuki areas.
In a statement after its meeting with Home Ministry officials Tuesday, the COCOMI said: 'The delegation conveyed the strong sentiments and demands of the people regarding the Gwaltabi issue. The MHA officials assured that the matter has been noted for necessary governmental action.'
Raising the latest row, Congress general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh demanded Shah's resignation on Monday. 'President's Rule appears to have made no difference whatsoever in Manipur. Today the Governor had to take a helicopter from the airport in Imphal to Kangla Fort in order to reach his residence. Meanwhile, the PM is busy giving filmi dialogues in different parts of the country and politicising Operation Sindoor while continuing to ignore Manipur. The Union Home Minister has failed most miserably and should resign for his total failure to bring a semblance of normalcy in Manipur, which he has been managing,' Ramesh said in a statement.
Meghachandra said: 'Who instructed the Manipur Governor to remove the word 'Manipur' from the Manipur State Transport Corporation bus? Double-Engine government (of the BJP) has already failed Manipur over the last more than two years. President's Rule, too, has failed Manipur.'
PM Modi has 'repeatedly' failed Manipur, the Congress state chief said. 'Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. The Manipur Governor should be recalled.'
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