Imphal: The normal life of Manipur came to a halt when there was a strike called in by the multiple militant outfits on Sunday which lasted for the whole day. The strike took place for protesting the merger of Manipur with India on October 15, 1949. The strike was followed by closing of the commercial establishments and markets and the public transports were also not functioning except for a few private vehicles. According to the officials, the inter-district public transport also remained shut throughout the day.
The Coordinating Committee (CorCom) which is a conglomerate of at least five banned outfits including the United National Liberal Front (UNLF) were the ones to impose the strike from 6 am to 6 pm. The CorCom had issued a statement for the people of the state stating that they should restrict all forms of celebrations and their movement on Sunday. The following services that were exempted from the strike were the services provided by media, medical facilities and the emergency services.
It was the Maharaja of Manipur whoa the one to sign the merger treaty with India on September 21, 1949 that came into effect on October 15, that year. From that day, October 15 is viewed as the “Black Day” by the militant groups and this has been one of the main reasons behind the insurgency movement in the northeastern state.
