Insurgent groups claim that Maharaj Bodhachandra, the then king of Manipur, was forced to sign the merger agreement much against the wishes of the people on September 21, 1949, while he was being held captive in Shillong.
Normal life in the state was disrupted on Friday owing to the 12-hour total shutdown imposed by rebel groups in protest against the “forced” merger of Manipur into the Indian Union.
The total shutdown was called by Co-ordination Committee (CorCom) and Alliance for Socialist Unity, Kangleipak (ASUK) — two umbrella bodies of major militant outfits operating in the state. The shutdown came into effect from 6 am and lasted till 6 pm.
During the shutdown period, all business establishments, including the commercial hub – Imphal city, financial institutes like banks, among others, remained closed. Public transportation services also stayed off the roads.
In the wake of the shutdown, heavy security measures were deployed to thwart any untoward incident. However, there was no report of shutdown-related violence.
Insurgent groups have been observing October 15 as ‘national black day’ to denounce the merger of Manipur into the Indian Union.
They claim that Maharaj Bodhachandra, the then king of Manipur, was forced to sign the merger agreement much against the wishes of the people on September 21, 1949, while he was being held captive in Shillong. Subsequently, the government of India annexed Manipur on October 15, 1949.
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