Manipur: CorCom calls for 12-hour total shutdown on October 15

Imphal: The Coordination Committee (CorCom) has called for a 12-hour total shutdown on October 15 from 6 am to 6 pm in Manipur.

In a statement, the CorCom Publicity Committee declared October 15 as “National Black Day” marking the anniversary of Manipur’s merger with the Indian Union. 

Emergency and important services including medical, water supplies, power department, media, and religious ceremonies are exempted from the purview of the shutdown. 

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The statement claimed that on October 15, 1949, India forcibly annexed Manipur (Kangleipak).

Due to this, the organisation called for the observation of October 15 as "National Black Day", it stated.

They claimed that Manipur (Kangleipak) had a written Constitution as early as the 11th century and its independence was not usurped even after it came under British occupation in 1891.

Manipur became fully independent on August 14, 1947, one day ahead of India, and a new Government was set up but Manipur was forcibly annexed to India on October 15, 1949, the CorCom alleged.

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"Our demand is a restoration of Manipur's sovereignty usurped by India", CorCom asserted.

The Government forces have been waging a proxy war with two objectives; first, suppression of the revolutionary movement and destruction of the Manipur valley socially, economically, and politically, and second, exploitation of invaluable underground mineral resources, it claimed.

The CorCom is an apex body of six banned outfits.

The groups are - the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), its Progressive faction (PREPAK-Pro), Revolutionary People's Front (RPF, the political wing of the People's Liberation Army- PLA), and United National Liberation Front (UNLF).