The Coordination Committee (CorCom) has announced a boycott of India’s Independence Day on August 15, reiterating its long-standing stand against the celebration. As part of the boycott, the group has called for a total shutdown across Manipur (Kangleipak) from 1:00 AM to 6:30 PM on the day. Essential services such as medical care, electricity, water supply, fire services, the press, and religious activities will be exempted.
In a statement, CorCom’s Media Coordinator, M. Shak-Hen, asserted that Manipur was once an independent nation-state with a recorded history of over 2,000 years. The statement recounted the hardships faced during the Burmese occupation (1819–1826) and the British conquest of 1891, highlighting that despite British political dominance, Manipur was not annexed to British India by Queen Victoria.
Referring to the Anglo–Manipur Friendship Treaty of 1762, signed between Chittagong Chief Verelst and Maharaja Jai Singh (Bhagyachandra) through envoy Hari Das Gosain, CorCom described it as Manipur’s first formal diplomatic agreement with another sovereign power. Historical works such as A History of South East Asia by D.G.E. Hall and South East Asia by John F. Cady were cited as evidence of Manipur’s independent status.
The statement noted that after the British left in 1947, Manipur functioned as an independent nation until 1949. The first general election under universal adult franchise was held on October 18, 1948, forming a National Assembly with Maharajah Bodhachandra as the Constitutional Head over a territory of 8,650 square miles. At that time, the hills and the valley enjoyed unity, described by the Maharajah as “one body, one soul.”
CorCom reiterated that the Merger Agreement signed on September 21, 1949, in Shillong was done under duress and was never ratified by the Manipur National Assembly. The group termed India’s formal annexation on October 15, 1949, as an “act of aggression” that violated the Indian Independence Act, 1947, international law, the United Nations Charter, the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947, and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969.
Following annexation, Manipur’s political autonomy was gradually eroded. It became a Part C state in 1950, a Union Territory in 1956, and witnessed the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in 1958. Policies such as the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, and later statehood in 1972, were described as measures to dilute political identity and unity, leading to divisions among Naga, Kuki, and Meetei communities.
CorCom alleged that the present crisis in Manipur is a “long-prepared plan” to suppress the freedom struggle, with Suspension of Operation (SoO) groups acting as proxy forces. The unrest, it claimed, is part of India’s counter-insurgency strategy, designed to create mistrust between communities and weaken historical unity. The statement accused the Indian state of arming Kuki militants while targeting the Meetei population, using the conflict as a tool to prolong instability for political purposes.
The boycott call, the group said, is a reaffirmation that August 15 holds a very different meaning for Manipur — marking the loss of its own independence rather than a day of celebration.