Manipur forms committee to examine allegations of state's name removal from bus

Manipur government, on May 21, constituted a two-member committee examining the allegations regarding the removal of the state's name from a bus taking journalists to the 'Shirui Lily' tourism festival.

It was alleged that security forces had stopped the state-run bus, on which journalists were being taken by the government to cover the tourism festival on Tuesday, and forced the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staff to conceal the state's name written on the windshield with a white paper.

The committee will "examine facts and circumstances involving security personnel and Manipur State Road Transport Bus carrying media persons to cover the Manipur Shirui festival on May 20 near Gwaltabi chekpost", said an order issued by the Home Department.

"The committee shall look into lapses, if any and suggest measures to prevent recurrence of such a situation in future," it said.

The committee, comprising Commissioner (Home) N Ashok Kumar and Secretary Th Kirankumar Singh, has been asked to submit its report within 15 days, it added.