Manipur Congress leader demands an apology for the May 20 bus incident

Senior Manipur Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh on Tuesday demanded that the "competent authority" who ordered the removal of the state's name from a government bus must apologise to the people of the state.

The Congress Legislative Party leader also termed as "embarrassing" the act of Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla taking a helicopter to reach Raj Bhavan from Imphal Airport on Monday.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event marking the 61st death anniversary of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru at Congress Bhavan, he said, "It is very unlikely that without orders from a competent authority, personnel of the Mahar regiment of the Indian Army would ask the staffers to cover the name of Manipur on a government bus." "That competent authority may be the governor, the DGP or the security advisor... whoever that is should politely admit the mistake to the people before any further damage is done," he added.

Manipur's name has been in existence for centuries before its merger with India in 1949. The respected governor and other competent authorities must understand this, he asserted.

"Who gave the order?" the former three-times chief minister questioned.

"The uniformed personnel have come to the state to aid the civil administration in law and order issues. But if the personnel of the Mahar regiment acted on their own, why no action has been taken against them?" the Thoubal MLA asked.

Protests erupted in Manipur after security personnel asked staffers of a government bus carrying journalists to attend Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul on May 20 to cover the state's name on the vehicle.

"Yesterday, the governor took a helicopter ride for just a few kilometres to reach Raj Bhavan from Imphal Airport... this is embarrassing. The road does not pass through jungles but through areas inhabited by ordinary civilians," the Congress leader added.

As Bhalla reached Imphal from Delhi on Monday afternoon, he took a helicopter from the airport to reach Kangla Fort, around 300 metres from Raj Bhavan as protesters had formed a human chain along the 6-km route from the airport to the governor’s house demanding an apology for the May 20 incident.

Ibobi Singh also called the ruling party MLAs as being irresponsible for not forming the government despite having sufficient numbers.

"Let them gather at the Raj Bhavan and tell the governor that they want to form the government," he asserted.

Also, till now no attempts have been made to reach a solution to the crisis in the state, he added.

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis in Manipur since May, 2023.