HT Digital
IMPHAL, MAY 24: Widespread protests broke out in Manipur’s Imphal West and Imphal East districts on Friday evening following outrage over the alleged removal of the state’s name from a government-run bus earlier in the week. The incident has sparked intense public anger and led to large-scale demonstrations across the capital.
At Chingmeirong in Imphal West, demonstrators gathered in large numbers, shouting slogans and attempting to march toward the Raj Bhavan. However, security personnel intervened and stopped their advance, officials reported. In Imphal East, similar protests took place at Kongba and Lamlong, where residents formed human chains and expressed their frustration at what they described as an insult to Manipur’s identity.
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The controversy stems from an incident on Tuesday when security forces allegedly stopped a state-run bus transporting journalists to the Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul district. Staffers from the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) were reportedly instructed to cover the word “Manipur” on the windshield of the bus using white paper. Images of the bus without the state’s name later circulated online, triggering strong reactions from the public and civil society groups.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent Meitei organization, condemned the act and called for a 48-hour statewide bandh in protest. According to protestors, the removal of the state’s name was not a trivial administrative decision but a symbolic attack on Manipur’s cultural and political identity.
In response to the growing unrest, the state government has ordered a probe into the incident. A two-member inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the circumstances involving the security personnel and the Manipur State Road Transport bus near the Gwaltabi checkpost on May 20. The committee is expected to examine all relevant facts and submit a report.
Meanwhile, the state continues to witness rising tensions as the demand for accountability and respect for regional identity gains momentum.
