'National Black Day’: 12-hour shutdown by CorCom keeps shops shut, public transport off roads in Manipur

A 12-hour shutdown called by the Coordination Committee (CorCom), an umbrella organisation of several banned insurgent groups, disrupted normal life across Manipur on Thursday, October 15, as the outfit observed the day as “National Black Day”.

The shutdown began at 6 am and is scheduled to continue until 6 pm. Shops, markets and other business establishments remained closed, while public transport was largely off the roads. Streets in Imphal and other major towns wore a deserted look, with educational institutions and private establishments also remaining non-functional.

Essential services, including medical care, media activities and religious affairs, were exempted from the shutdown, according to the announcement.

CorCom had called the shutdown to protest what it describes as the annexation of Manipur by India in 1949. The organisation observes October 15 every year as “National Black Day”, claiming that the merger resulted in the loss of Manipur’s sovereignty and political rights.

In its statement, CorCom alleged that Manipur’s merger with India violated international law and disregarded the political and constitutional status the state had attained before the merger.

Recounting the events leading to the merger, the organisation claimed that Maharaja Bodhachandra was taken to Shillong by Indian forces on September 21, 1949, and compelled to sign the Merger Agreement at Redlands, the residence of the Manipur Maharaja in Shillong.

CorCom described the agreement as the outcome of coercion rather than a voluntary political decision. The allegations form part of the organisation’s stated opposition to Manipur’s merger with India.

The shutdown affected commercial activities, public transport and educational institutions across the state, although essential services were exempted from its purview.