Manipur bus row: CS says will ensure non-recurrence
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Imphal: Manipur chief secretary
Prashant Kumar Singh
on Thursday said the govt will ensure that the incident at Gwaltabi, where security forces allegedly covered the state's name written on the windshield of a bus with a white paper, does not occur in future.
He said the administration is committed to the integrity of the state of Manipur.
Addressing a press conference with security advisor Kuldiep Singh, Singh presented a prepared statement without entertaining questions from journalists. He highlighted that the Shirui Festival in Ukhrul, organised as part of peace-building efforts, drew approximately 1.70 lakh attendees.
He said families from various communities, including those from the valley areas and beyond state borders, attended the festival in Ukhrul, facilitated by comprehensive security arrangements and a safe environment.
Talking about the May 20 incident involving a Manipur State Road Transport bus carrying journalists to the Shirui Festival at Gwaltabi, he clarified that no directives were issued regarding covering the state's name. "This has been amply clarified by the state govt as well as by the responsible political leadership. What transpired on the ground, would be revealed after a thorough inquiry ," he added.
"The state administration has taken the reported untoward incident with utmost seriousness and the incident is deeply regretted.
In response governor has constituted an inquiry committee comprising of the commissioner home and the IT secretary which is to submit its report in a time bound manner," he said.
The chief secretary guaranteed appropriate action against those responsible for any lapses once the report is submitted, ensuring such incidents would not recur. He concluded by affirming the administration's dedication to Manipur's integrity and their goal of establishing lasting peace, while requesting public cooperation in maintaining order.
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The Hindu
7 days ago
- The Hindu
Home Secretary likely to visit Manipur next week
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan is likely to visit Manipur next week, on June 2 and June 3, in the wake of fresh protests and a 'civil disobedience' call by Meitei groups in the northeastern State over the May 20 incident in Gwaltabi. On that day, security forces allegedly tried to cover the word 'Manipur' on a State transport bus that was ferrying journalists to the hill district of Ukhrul for the Shirui Lily festival. After arriving in Imphal, the Home Secretary is likely to visit the Kuki-Zo areas in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi to review relief and rehabilitation work and the overall security scenario in the State, officials said. In an unprecedented turn of events, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, upon his arrival from Delhi on May 29, had to take a helicopter for the seven-kilometre journey from Imphal Airport to Raj Bhavan as protestors swarmed the roads seeking his apology for the Gwaltabi incident. The Coordination Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an Imphal-based Meitei civil society group, has called for the removal of all top government officials in the State, including the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Chief Secretary. This week, civilians also locked Government of India offices. The civil disobedience call given by COCOMI continues, with journalists boycotting all government functions and events. After President's Rule was imposed in the State on February 13, there has been a sharp drop in the number of violent incidents, and more than 350 people have been arrested for extortion, abductions, and threatening civilians. However, around 60,000 people who were displaced from their homes when ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei people started in May 2023 are yet to be resettled and continue to live in relief camps. Around 250 people have been killed in the ethnic violence so far. Several civil society groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have demanded the restoration of the democratic set-up, and 10 Manipur legislators met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on May 28 at the Raj Bhavan to seek the formation of a 'popular' government. Earlier, on May 5, BJP's North East in-charge Sambit Patra met former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, BJP legislators in the valley and hills, and Kuki-Zo and Zomi civil society organisations. After the Gwaltabi incident, representatives of two different Meitei civil society organisations were called to Delhi to meet A.K. Mishra, the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) North-East Adviser. On April 4, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that both communities in Manipur 'should understand that dialogue is the only way forward,' and that the Union government is not in favour of continuing President's Rule in the State 'even for a single day.' He reiterated that a Manipur High Court order had triggered the violence in the State in May 2023, adding that the interpretation of the order led to insecurities among the tribal community about losing reservation status and it became a 'tribals versus non-tribal' issue.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Manipur bus row: CS says will ensure non-recurrence
1 2 3 Imphal: Manipur chief secretary Prashant Kumar Singh on Thursday said the govt will ensure that the incident at Gwaltabi, where security forces allegedly covered the state's name written on the windshield of a bus with a white paper, does not occur in future. He said the administration is committed to the integrity of the state of Manipur. Addressing a press conference with security advisor Kuldiep Singh, Singh presented a prepared statement without entertaining questions from journalists. He highlighted that the Shirui Festival in Ukhrul, organised as part of peace-building efforts, drew approximately 1.70 lakh attendees. He said families from various communities, including those from the valley areas and beyond state borders, attended the festival in Ukhrul, facilitated by comprehensive security arrangements and a safe environment. Talking about the May 20 incident involving a Manipur State Road Transport bus carrying journalists to the Shirui Festival at Gwaltabi, he clarified that no directives were issued regarding covering the state's name. "This has been amply clarified by the state govt as well as by the responsible political leadership. What transpired on the ground, would be revealed after a thorough inquiry ," he added. "The state administration has taken the reported untoward incident with utmost seriousness and the incident is deeply regretted. In response governor has constituted an inquiry committee comprising of the commissioner home and the IT secretary which is to submit its report in a time bound manner," he said. The chief secretary guaranteed appropriate action against those responsible for any lapses once the report is submitted, ensuring such incidents would not recur. He concluded by affirming the administration's dedication to Manipur's integrity and their goal of establishing lasting peace, while requesting public cooperation in maintaining order.
Scroll.in
30-05-2025
- Scroll.in
Manipur: No order issued to mask ‘state transport' sign on bus, says chief secretary
The Manipur government had not issued any instructions to cover the words 'Manipur State Transport' on a state-run bus on May 20, Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh said on Thursday. Singh said that the incident was 'deeply regretted' and that the state administration had taken it with utmost seriousness. 'The State will also ensure that such an incident does not occur in future,' the official. The chief secretary said that what transpired on the ground that day will become clear only after a thorough inquiry. He added that Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had formed an inquiry committee consisting of the home department commissioner and the information technology secretary which will present its findings on the matter in a time-bound manner. On May 20, central security forces allegedly stopped a group of 20 journalists in Imphal East district and directed them to hide the 'Manipur State Transport' sign on the government bus they were travelling in. The incident occurred at the Gwaltabi checkpoint in Imphal East while the group was travelling to cover the Shirui Lily Festival, a cultural event organised by the state tourism department, in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The route to the district passes through several Kuki villages. The team initially tried to comply with the direction. However, delays due to negotiations with the security forces forced them to cancel the trip and return to Imphal. A video of the 'Manipur State Transport' sign being covered was circulated widely on social media. On May 27, the student wing of Meitei civil society group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity locked the offices of the chief electoral officer and the Geological Survey of India in Imphal West to protest the incident. Manipur has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.
