Armed group Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) Apunba has called a 12-hour total shutdown across Manipur on October 15 to observe Black Day, marking what it describes as the loss of Manipur’s independence following its merger with India.
In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Punsirol Meitei, the outfit claimed that Manipur’s sovereignty was taken away after the signing of the Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949, and the subsequent declaration of the merger on October 15 that year.
The statement said October 15 is observed as Black Day by those who oppose the merger and seek the restoration of Manipur’s sovereignty. It called upon the public to support the shutdown as part of the movement to reassert what it described as the people’s right to self-determination.
The shutdown will begin at 6 am and end at 6 pm on October 15, the statement said.
However, news media, water supply, fire services, medical emergencies, essential services and activities related to religious and customary practices will be exempted from the shutdown, it added.
