CorCom calls 12-hour Manipur shutdown on October 15 over 1949 merger

The Coordination Committee (CorCom), an umbrella organisation of proscribed underground groups in Manipur, has called a 12-hour statewide shutdown on October 15 to mark what it describes as “National Black Day”, protesting Manipur’s merger with India in 1949.

The shutdown will run from 6 am to 6 pm, according to a statement issued by CorCom’s Publicity Committee and signed by its media coordinator, M. Shak-Hen. Medical and emergency services, media activities, funeral rites and religious functions have been exempted.

CorCom observes October 15 annually to oppose what it terms the annexation of Manipur, also known as Kangleipak. The organisation claims the merger violated international law and disregarded Manipur’s constitutional and political status at the time.

The group alleged that Maharaja Bodhchandra was forced to sign the Manipur Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949, at Redlands in Shillong while under house arrest and at gunpoint. It described the agreement as an outcome of coercion rather than a voluntary political decision.

CorCom also linked the demolition of the remaining structures of the historic Redlands building on October 8 and 9, 2025, to what it alleged was an attempt to remove evidence concerning Manipur’s merger with India.

Questioning the legality of the merger, the organisation cited the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947, and the first sitting of the elected National Assembly on October 18, 1948, arguing that Manipur had established its own constitutional and representative institutions before 1949.

It also referred to the Standstill Agreement and Instrument of Accession signed on August 11, 1947. According to CorCom, the documents transferred powers relating to defence, external affairs and communications without surrendering Manipur’s sovereignty in other areas.

Citing Clauses 7 and 8 of the Instrument of Accession, the organisation argued that the agreement did not require the Maharaja to accept any future Constitution of India or relinquish sovereignty beyond the powers specifically transferred under the instrument.

The group further questioned the validity of the merger agreement, citing the circumstances in which it was signed and invoking the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969, and other international legal principles to support its position.

CorCom also referred to a telegram dated September 18, 1949, from Shri Prakash to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which it claimed suggested that arrangements had been made to prevent the Maharaja and his advisers from returning to Manipur before the agreement was signed.

The organisation maintained that Manipur had existed as a unified political entity comprising the hills and the valley for centuries. It alleged that the merger was opposed by the elected government of the time, political parties and sections of the population.

Invoking the principles of self-determination, territorial integrity and state continuity, CorCom argued that the passage of time had not resolved what it considers the question of Manipur’s political status.

Describing October 15 as a day of mourning over what it views as the loss of Manipur’s sovereignty and political rights, the organisation urged the public to support the shutdown.

The allegations and legal interpretations in the statement reflect CorCom’s position on Manipur’s 1949 merger with India.