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Row over covering ‘Manipur’ on bus: Protesters scuffle with forces, Meitei group to meet MHA officials in Delhi

The group said the meeting aimed to initiate follow-up action on the resolutions adopted during the Manipur People’s Convention May 3, 2025 at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.

Protesters during a march towards Raj Bhavan over alleged covering of ‘Manipur’ written on a state-run bus, in Imphal on Sunday (PTI)

Amid the growing unrest over central forces allegedly forcing staffers to cover the word Manipur on a state-run transport bus carrying journalists enroute to attend the Shirui Lily festival, protesters, led by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), clashed with police Sunday when they allegedly tried to storm the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

The group’s convenor Khuraijam Athouba said Sunday that a seven-member delegation of COCOMI, an umbrella body of Meitei groups, will meet Union Home Ministry officials in New Delhi Tuesday and discuss the present situation in Manipur, particularly the row over hiding the state’s name on a government bus in Gwaltabi. He said the agenda for the meeting includes the demand for a public apology from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla over the Gwaltabi incident, and the removal of the chief secretary, DGP, and security advisor.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended an invitation to COCOMI for an exclusive meeting. The meeting is scheduled on Tuesday,” Athouba said.

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The group said the meeting aimed to initiate follow-up action on the resolutions adopted during the Manipur People’s Convention May 3, 2025 at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.

It was alleged that on May 20 security forces stopped a state-run bus, carrying journalists in Ukhrul district near the Gwaltabi checkpost and forced the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staffers to cover the state’s name written on the windshield with a white paper.

On Sunday, a scuffle broke out between protesters and security forces. The forces fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, resulting in at least seven women sustaining injuries.

Condemning the action , COCOMI said, “The deployment of such aggressive crowd control measures against unarmed civilians, many of whom were mothers and elderly women, is deeply concerning. COCOMI demands that such hostile actions by security forces must immediately cease.” Athouba reiterated the demand for the resignation or immediate transfer of the Chief Secretary, DGP, and Security Advisor.