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Scroll.in
6 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
Scroll.in
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Manipur: Meitei protesters lock Union government offices in Imphal
The student wing of Meitei civil society group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity on Tuesday intensified its protest against the Manipur administration by locking two Union government offices in Imphal, reported The Telegraph. This came in response to the May 20 incident when the words 'Manipur State Transport' were covered on a state-run bus. Protesters locked the offices of the chief electoral officer and the Geological Survey of India in Imphal West and demanded an apology from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. They alsonheld placards that said 'Apology to Manipur or Leave Manipur' and 'President's Rule must stop insulting Manipur's identity'. This was part of the group's broader campaign against Union government bodies. Tuesday marked the third consecutive day of protests. 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. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity had said at the time that the actions of the security personnel seemed like a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the Manipur government within its territory. After the incident, public outrage further intensified in the state following reports that the governor was flown by an Army helicopter from the Imphal airport to Kangla Fort – which is only 300 metres from the Raj Bhavan – in order to bypass road blockades by protesters on Monday, The Telegraph reported. 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. President's Rule was imposed in February this year after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. Bhalla has been administering Manipur since then.
Scroll.in
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Manipur: Probe ordered after journalists allegedly told to hide ‘state transport' sign
The Manipur governor on Wednesday ordered an inquiry after security personnel allegedly stopped a group of 20 journalists in Imphal East district a day ago 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, The New Indian Express reported. A video of the 'Manipur State Transport' sign being covered was circulated widely on social media. 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. President's Rule was imposed in February this year after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. Journalists and civil society groups condemned the security personnel after Tuesday's incident. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, a Meitei civil society group based in the Imphal Valley, said that the actions of the security personnel seemed like a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the Manipur government within its territory. The group also called for a 48-hour strike to demand an apology 'from the governor over journalist harassment and identity issues, and resignation of chief secreatry, security advisor and DGP [director general of police]'. 'This act represents a gross violation of the state's dignity and sovereign administrative authority,' the group stated. 'It also raises disturbing questions about the operational motives and chain of command within the Indian Army and other central forces deployed in the region.' The group added that the fact that such an incident could take place during an official government programme underscored 'the alarming extent to which central forces have overridden civilian governance in the state'. It asked if Manipur was 'under undeclared military rule'. Demanding an explanation for 'these unprecedented actions', the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity said: 'Such behaviour is not only careless but also seems to align with the intentions of illegal elements trying to destabilise the region over the past two years.' Condemning the incident, the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union and the Editors' Guild Manipur submitted a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, demanding an investigation and action against those responsible, The Hindu reported. The letter said that the bus had been arranged for the journalists by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations. '…upon reaching Gwaltabi, personnel from the 4 Mahar Regiment instructed the media team to hide the phrase 'Manipur State Transport' printed on the front of the bus,' The Hindu quoted the letter as saying. 'The instruction raised concern and confusion among the media professionals, who questioned the logic behind hiding a state government name while operating within the state.' The letter demanded clarity from the authorities on the reason behind the instruction, according to the newspaper. 'One understands the objections from the Kuki community, though unacceptable, but the central forces supporting the demands of the Kuki is unprecedented and blatantly illegal in the true sense,' the letter read. The media organisations also called for a 'pen down strike' on May 21, which would entail the suspension of all normal duties by journalists, and a boycott of all news related to the Manipur government, The Hindu reported. Following the uproar, the state chief secretary said that Bhalla had constituted an 'inquiry committee to examine the facts and circumstances around the incident'. In a notice, the chief secretary added that the committee would look into 'lapses' and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The committee has been directed to submit a report within 15 days, the notice added. Meanwhile, Sambit Patra, who is in charge of the northeast for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said that the incident on Tuesday was an 'avoidable misunderstanding', The Ukhrul Times reported. The incident came days after the police on May 17 said that a first information report had been filed against a student leader from the Kuki community for issuing a threat claiming that Meiteis would not be allowed to cross the buffer zone to attend the Shirui Lily Festival.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manipur probe panel gets another extension
The three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2023 to probe the Manipur ethnic violence has received another extension and has been asked to submit its report to the Central Government as soon as possible, but not later than November 20. This is the third extension to the commission, which was notified on June 4, 2023. The CoI has received around 11,000 affidavits and is in the middle of collecting evidence. The last date to submit the affidavits was January 24. A senior government official, however, said the CoI would accept fresh affidavits if someone presented to it. 'In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 (60 of 1952), the Central Government hereby makes the following amendment in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs number S.O. 2424 (E), dated June 4, 2023… The commission shall submit its report to the Central Government as soon as possible but not later than November 20, 2025,' the notification said. The ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo-Hmar people and the Meitei people that erupted in the State on May 3, 2023, has claimed around 250 lives so far. Thousands of properties were burnt down, and more than 60,000 people were displaced from their homes. President's Rule was imposed in the State on February 13. The CoI headed by Ajai Lamba, former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, is expected to probe the causes, extent of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities, the sequence of events and whether there were any lapses or dereliction of duty in this regard on the part of any of the responsible authorities and individuals.
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Manipur: Shirui Lily Festival kicks off amid tight security
Imphal: The five-day-long Shirui Lily Festival began in Manipur's Ukhrul district on Tuesday amidst tight security. The festival, organised by the Manipur Tourism Department, is being held for the first time since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023. The inaugural ceremony at Heritage Ground in Ukhrul district's Vangayan village was graced by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. A media team from the state capital en route to cover the opening ceremony of the festival was forced to return to Imphal, allegedly after some security personnel blocked their bus at Gwaltabi in Imphal East district. All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and Editors Guild Manipur (EGM) in protest against the incident and demanding actions against the "perpetrators" jointly announced to launch a 'pen down strike' on Wednesday (May 21) and suspend all normal professional duties by the journalists fraternity. The AMWJU and the EGM, in a joint letter to the Governor, said that the security personnel instructed the media team to hide the writing 'Manipur State Transport Corporation' printed on the front of the bus carrying 20 Journalists and some Information Department officials. 'The instruction raised concern and confusion among the media professionals, who questioned the logic behind hiding a state government name while operating within the state,' the letter said. The incident triggered huge anger and protests among the Meitei community people in the valley region, with some organisations holding protest rallies in the capital city. Opposition Congress, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the Meitei community, Congress' Lok Sabha member Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Manipur Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, and many other leaders and organisations protested the incident. Congress Spokesperson Ningombam Bupenda Meitei on Tuesday said that the party expressed serious concern on the failure of the state, including the Union government, to ensure effective free movement of all citizens and persons in the entire Manipur state since May 3, 2023. 'We urge both the Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manipur Governor, as the state is placed under President's Rule, to uphold the Constitution in order to ensure the free movement of all in Manipur state,' the Congress Spokesperson said. In view of the festival, the Manipur government has taken huge security measures after reported threats by some individuals and organisations to the Meitei community against entering Kuki tribal-dominated areas during the Shirui Lily Festival. The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex body of the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal community, also, however, did not support the 'Kuki Zo Village Volunteers Eastern Zone' reported warning to the Meitei community. Shirui Lily Festival, mostly organised by the Meitei community, is celebrated in honour of the state flower, Shirui Lily. Underlining its ecological importance, the celebration takes place during the peak blooming season of the Shirui Lily, a rare and endangered flower that can only be found in Manipur. Shirui lily grows on top of the Shirui hills in Ukhrul district and cannot be replanted anywhere else in the world. The state flower of Manipur fills the air with its pleasant fragrance during the blooming season. The festival is observed primarily to spread awareness and conserve the endangered state flower. The festival provides an opportunity for people from various communities and tribes to come together, explore the highest hill station of Manipur, the picturesque Ukhrul district and get deeper insights about the Tangkhul Naga tribe dwelling here.
