IT News
Imphal, Sept 20:
The Irawat Celebration Committee (ICC), Manipur, and the Lamyanba Irabot Ningshing Thouram Observation Committee Manipur have appealed to the National Revolutionary Front of Manipur (NRFM) to relax the bandh scheduled for September 21. The appeal was made specifically for those wishing to attend the observance of the historic Pungdongbam incident at Chalou Irawat Park, Imphal East.
In a statement, the committee emphasized the significance of September 21 in Manipur’s history. The date marks two crucial events: the forced signing of the merger agreement between Maharaja Bodhachandra of Manipur and the Union of India in 1949, and a 1948 confrontation between police forces and a group of people on their way to attend a protest meeting organized by Hijam Irawat against the formation of Purbanchal Pradesh.
Since 1980, the ICC has been observing this day as ‘Safe Manipur Day’ to honour Hijam Irabot’s leadership in the movement to protect Manipur’s sovereignty. The committee urged the NRFM to allow those participating in this significant commemoration to travel freely to Irawat Park, Chalou, despite the bandh.