Ukhrul: The Coordinating Committee (CorCom) has announced a 12-hour total shutdown on October 15 from 6 am to 6 pm, marking what it refers to as “National Black Day.” The shutdown is intended to protest the alleged forced annexation of Manipur (Kangleipak) by India on October 15, 1949, according to a press release issued by CorCom’s Publicity Committee.
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The CorCom asserted that Manipur had an independent existence with a written Constitution as early as the 11th century and remained autonomous even under British occupation from 1881. The organization claims that after briefly regaining independence on August 14, 1947, one day before India’s independence, Manipur was forcibly annexed by India two years later on October 15, 1949.
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In the statement, CorCom accused the Indian government of waging war against the people of Manipur by deploying large numbers of armed forces and enforcing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 1958, which they allege resulted in the deaths, forced disappearances, and human rights violations of many innocent people in the state.
“Waging war against India does not mean starting a war,” the statement emphasized, adding that their demand is not for secession but for the restoration of Manipur’s sovereignty, which they claim was “usurped” by India. CorCom further alleged that the Indian government has sought to undermine the independence movement by fostering inter-community conflicts, which have led to social polarization and the creation of buffer zones between ethnic groups, as if it were an international conflict.
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The committee also accused the Indian armed forces of supporting mercenaries, particularly immigrants from Myanmar, whom they claim have been armed and supplied to carry out “genocide and ethnic cleansing” against people in the Manipur valley. The organization pointed to statements made by Indian military leaders, including General Upendra Dwivedi and retired Assam Rifles Director General Lt Gen Pradeep Chandran Nair, as evidence of Indian complicity in the ongoing violence.
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CorCom alleged that the ongoing violence serves two primary objectives: the suppression of the revolutionary movement and the exploitation of Manipur’s natural resources, such as petroleum, uranium, and other minerals. They claimed that the Indian government is more concerned with resource extraction than with addressing the violence in Manipur.
The total shutdown will exclude medical, emergency services, religious functions, and media, the statement added.
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