48-hour bandh in Manipur's Imphal over state name row disrupts normal life

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The 48-hour state-wide bandh called by Meitei organisation Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) in protest against the removal of the state's name from a government bus affected normal life across the five districts of Imphal Valley on Thursday.

All business establishments, educational institutions, and government and private offices were closed and public transport remained off the roads.

At Wangkhei, Khurai, Kongba in Imphal East district and Kwakeithel, Naoremthong in Imphal West district, bandh supporters came out on the streets to enforce the shutdown and asked any individual outside their homes to return back. The bandh started on Wednesday midnight.

Bandh supporters also burned tyres on the roads at Naoremthong, Kwakeithel, Khurai and Wangkhei in state capital Imphal.

Security has been tightened across Imphal to prevent any untoward incident.

Central forces personnel have been deployed at strategic places across all points leading to the Raj Bhavan.

The Manipur government on Wednesday ordered a probe into the allegations that security personnel forced to cover the state's name on a bus taking journalists to the Shirui Lily festival.

It was alleged that security forces had stopped the state-run bus, on which journalists were being taken by the government to cover the tourism festival in Ukhrul district on Tuesday, and forced the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staffers to cover the state's name written on the windshield with a white paper.

The government formed a two-member inquiry committee, and said that it will "examine facts and circumstances involving security personnel and Manipur State Road Transport Bus carrying media persons to cover the Manipur Shirui festival on May 20 near Gwaltabi checkpost", according to an order issued by the Home Department.

"The committee shall look into lapses, if any and suggest measures to prevent recurrence of such a situation in future," it said.

The committee, comprising Commissioner (Home) N Ashok Kumar and Secretary Th Kirankumar Singh, has been asked to submit its report within 15 days, it added.

Amid outrage over the incident, COCOMI called a 48-hour general strike from Wednesday midnight, and demanded an apology from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and the resignation of Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, DGP Rajiv Singh and Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh.

"The decision to have Manipur removed from a state bus itself is anti-Manipur, absolutely challenges the idea of Manipur and its historical and cultural identity," COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said.

"The people of Manipur demand to know under whose authority the decision was taken. It should be clarified to the public within 48 hours," he added.

The Shirui Lily festival is being held after a gap of two years as the state, ravaged by ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo community, limps back to normalcy amid the President's Rule, which was imposed in February following the resignation of N Biren Singh as the chief minister.