Manipur: NRFM calls for 18-hour statewide general strike

Imphal: The National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) has called for an 18-hour general strike from September 21 (Saturday) starting at midnight, in denunciation of independence nation Manipur's merger into India.

Sanajaoba Meitei, NRFM information & publicity secretary informed in a statement that the emergency services including media, medical, water supplies, and electricity will be exempted from the purview of the strike.

The outfit also called upon the indegeneious people of the state to stand unitedly and fight the merger agreement which symbolises oppression of Manipur by India.

The NRFM secretary further stated that the then King of Manipur nation, Maharaja Bodhchandra signed the merger agreement with the Indian Union on September 21, 1949, under duress in Shillong, Meghalaya. After this, Manipur merged with the Union of India on October 15, 1949.

For centuries, Manipur has been a kingdom in the Southeast Asian countries. However, the sovereignty of Manipur was lost to the British from 1891 AD to 1947. After emerging as an independent kingdom for around 2 years, Manipur merged with the Union government of India in 1949.

Since then, India has been scheming to create chaos in this border state and disregarding the rights of the people which could be comprehended from various insues inclduing man-made barriers against free movement and divide and rule polity being applied by the government at the center, the outfit alleged.

Notably, the NRFM came into existence on September 11, 2011. It was previously known as the United Revolutionary Front.