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Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- 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.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Amid unrest, truck driver abducted in Manipur
Amid the ongoing civil disobedience campaign across Imphal valley, the driver of a truck transporting essential goods was abducted by unidentified armed men in the State's Tamenglong district on May 28. District officials said on Thursday (May 29, 2025) that the incident happened near New Kaiphundai along National Highway 37. The truck was carrying goods from Jiribam on the border with Assam to the State's capital, Imphal. 'Personnel of the Manipur police and central security forces have been scouting the surrounding areas to locate the missing driver,' an official said. While the security forces have stepped up area domination in vulnerable areas in the hills and the valley, the abduction of the driver triggered protests in the Tamenglong district. Organisations belonging primarily to the Rongmei Naga community demanded the driver's release. The authorities have not disclosed the identity of the driver, deeming it sensitive. In the valley, members of at least eight organisations staged a protest rally against 'India's policy to obliterate Manipur'. They included the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation, All Manipur Women's Voluntary Association, and Manipuri Students' Federation. The 'obliteration' was an allusion to the May 20 incident at Gwaltabi, about 25 km from Imphal, where security forces personnel allegedly made the passengers of a State-run bus cover the word 'Manipur' on its windscreen with a white paper. Meanwhile, addressing journalists along with Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, Manipur's Chief Secretary, Prashant Kumar Singh said the State government will ensure that the Gwaltabi incident is not repeated in future. Asserting the administration's commitment to the integrity of Manipur, he said people from all communities from the Imphal Valley and beyond the State travelled with families to Ukhrul to attend the Shirui Lily Festival, which recorded a footfall of 1.70 lakh. 'The Gwaltabi incident was unfortunate. There had been no instructions whatsoever or even a remote thought of covering the name of the State, as has been alleged. This has been amply clarified by the State government as well as by the responsible political leadership,' the Chief Secretary said. He said the ground reality would be revealed after a thorough inquiry into the May 20 incident. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla constituted the committee, which was asked to submit its report in a time bound manner. Protestors across the Imphal Valley have been demanding an apology from the Governor for the bus incident and the removal of the Chief Secretary, the Security Advisor, and Director General of Police Rajiv Singh.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Why Manipur Guv took the chopper for 6km ride from airport to Raj Bhavan
IMPHAL: Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday took a chopper from Imphal airport to reach Raj Bhavan about 6km away, after hundreds of people formed a human chain to protest the removal of 'Manipur' from a state transport bus. Officials said the governor reached the airport from Delhi on Monday and took an army chopper to the historic Kangla Fort 300 metres from the Raj Bhavan in view of the protests. The protests, spearheaded by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent civil society coalition, saw protesters, including students form a human chain along Tiddim Road from the airport's departure gate to Keishampat Junction. The demonstration is part of a wider state-wide agitation led by COCOMI to demand the governor's apology and removal of chief secretary PK Singh, security advisor Kuldiep Singh, and director general of police Rajiv Singh. The agitation follows an incident on May 20, when a Manipur State Transport bus ferrying journalists to Ukhrul for the Shirui Lily Festival was stopped by central security personnel and ordered to remove the word 'Manipur' from its signage, a move widely seen as an affront to the state's identity. Upon learning of Bhalla's return on Monday, protesters formed a human chain demonstration along the route with banners that asked the governor to apologise or step down. Security forces, however, prevented protesters from taking out a rally in Imphal West district and fired tear gas shells to disperse them, according to news agency PTI. The protesters had assembled in Kwakeithel area on Tiddim Road and planned to march towards the Raj Bhavan, but were stopped, PTI said, quoting a senior officer. Protesters also attempted to burn an effigy of the governor in Kwakeithel Bazaar but were stopped by security personnel. A protester said Bhalla should have met the public. 'We will continue various forms of agitation until he apologises to the people,' he said. Kuldiep Singh, who was brought in as the state's security adviser as part of efforts to tackle the protracted ethnic violence in Manipur, defended the May 20 directive, saying it was a precautionary measure to avoid incidents like the one in Kangpokpi, where suspected Kuki-Zo militants attacked a bus. The ethnic violence in the state has since May 2023 claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000. Meanwhile, a seven-member COCOMI team departed for New Delhi on Monday to hold a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday to address unresolved political and security issues stemming from the ongoing Manipur crisis. The delegation is led by committee convenor Kh. Athouba and includes members Yengkokpam Dhiren Meetei, L. Jadumani Singh, Thiyam Bharat Singh, Laikhuram Jayenta Singh, Phijam Shyamchand Singh, and Yumkhaibam Surjitkumar.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BSF DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary visited Manipur and reviewed the prevailing law and order situation
Guwahati: Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chawdhary visited Manipur and reviewed the prevailing law and order situation. A BSF spokesman said that during his two-day visit (May 24-25) to Manipur, the BSF DG held separate meetings with Manipur government's security advisor Kuldiep Singh , a former DG CRPF and the state's Director General of Police Rajiv Singh and reviewed the law and order situation. All officers and BSF troopers in various districts of Manipur participated via a video conference. The DG also visited BSF units deployed on the fringe areas of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts and interacted with the troopers. He also visited the 10th battalion BSF headquarters at Loktak, where he interacted with the troopers and encouraged them to sustain their efforts in upholding peace and security in the area. Live Events The DG BSF, during the tour, was given a comprehensive briefing on the current law and order situation in Manipur, and he interacted at length with the sector officers, the spokesman said. During the two-day tour, Chawdhary, a senior IPS officer, was accompanied by BSF's Additional Director General, Eastern Command, Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Inspector General, Mizoram and Cachar Frontier, Sanjay Kumar Misra and Inspector General (STC-BSF) Indra Deo Singh. After the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, as part of the Central Armed Police Force ( CAPF ), several battalions of BSF were deployed in the northeastern state by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Illegal immigrants detained Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has continued its vigilant and coordinated action against the infiltration of illegal foreign nationals through the railway network. In alignment with its commitment towards national security and public safety, RPF/NFR has successfully apprehended multiple Bangladeshi nationals and their Indian accomplices during the month of April & May 2025. These actions are part of an intensified efforts to prevent the misuse of railway routes by illegal migrants and human traffickers. Between 1st May & 16th May 2025, RPF/NFR apprehended a total of 6 Bangladeshi nationals along with 6 Indian agents in separate operations. The most significant action occurred on 16th May, when RPF/Agartala, alongwith SIB/Badarpur and BSF/AHTU, apprehended 2 Bangladeshi nationals (1 male and 1 female) along with 4 Indian agents at Agartala railway station. Additionally, on various dates, arrests were made at Radhikapur and Agartala railway stations, where 4 Bangladeshi nationals and 2 Indian handlers were taken into custody. All apprehended persons were handed over to respective GRP outpost for legal action under relevant Railway Act provisions.u Dring the month of April 2025, RPF/NFR apprehended 32 illegal Bangladeshi migrants along with 01 Indian agent in separate operations conducted at Agartala, Bhanga, Dharmanagar and Karimganj railway stations. All individuals were handed over to the respective GRP outpost for further legal action. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bus incident: Manipur group announces civil disobedience
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), on Saturday (May 24, 2025), launched a 'civil disobedience campaign against President's Rule administration' and the 'public boycott' of Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. The announcement by the Imphal Valley-based organisation followed the expiry of its 48-hour general strike from midnight of May 21. The strike was against the masking of the words 'Manipur State Transport' on a bus carrying journalists to cover the Shirui Lily Festival, allegedly by security personnel. While imposing the strike, the COCOMI sought an apology from the Governor for the bus incident. It also demanded the resignation of the State's Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, Chief Secretary P.K. Singh, and Director General of Police Rajiv Singh. The organisation held the trio responsible for the incident that 'undermined the identity of Manipur, its name, pride, and respect'. Reiterating the demands, the COCOMI said in a statement: 'The refusal of the Governor and the presidential rule administration to acknowledge and apologise for this deep insult to the State's identity, confirms their disconnect from the ground reality and their disdain for the sentiments of the people.' It announced mass protests, rallies, torch processions, and sit-ins across Manipur, specifically outside the Raj Bhavan, Central government offices, and the district headquarters. The COCOMI urged the citizens to cease all cooperation with Central government offices 'whose decisions have repeatedly undermined the State's dignity'. It also appealed to the communities, students, women's groups, and civil society organisations to take active roles in organising cultural expressions of Manipuri identity, and door-to-door and loudspeaker campaigns to build momentum to push the demands. On May 21, the government ordered a probe by constituting a two-member committee with bureaucrats. The COCOMI rejected the panel and demanded the constitution of an 'independent inquiry' committee with a retired Sessions Court or High Court judge. It also asked the government to explain the incident involving the bus to the people of Manipur.
