Calling October 15 a day of mourning over what it considers the loss of Manipur’s sovereignty and political rights, CorCom urged the public to support the shutdown.
TFM Desk
The Coordination Committee (CorCom), an umbrella organisation of proscribed underground groups in Manipur, has called a 12-hour total shutdown across the state on October 15 to observe what it describes as “National Black Day” in protest against the merger of Manipur with India in 1949.
The shutdown will be in force from 6 am to 6 pm on October 15, 2026, according to a statement issued by the organisation’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 said it observes October 15 every year to protest what it terms the annexation of Manipur (Kangleipak) by India, alleging that the merger violated international law and Manipur’s constitutional and political status at the time.
The organisation alleged that Maharaja Bodhchandra was compelled 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 the outcome of coercion rather than a voluntary political decision.
Referring to the demolition of the remaining structures of the historic Redlands building on October 8 and 9, 2025, CorCom alleged that the incident was connected to the removal of evidence relating to Manipur’s merger.
Questioning the legal basis of the merger, the organisation maintained that Manipur had developed its own constitutional and representative institutions before 1949. It cited the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947, and the first sitting of the elected National Assembly on October 18, 1948, as evidence of the state’s political status before its merger with India.
CorCom also referred to the Standstill Agreement and Instrument of Accession signed on August 11, 1947, arguing that Manipur had agreed to transfer powers relating to defence, external affairs and communications without surrendering its sovereignty in other areas.
Citing Clauses 7 and 8 of the Instrument of Accession, the organisation claimed that the agreement did not bind the Maharaja to accept any future Constitution of India or relinquish his sovereignty beyond the powers specifically transferred under the instrument.
It further questioned the validity of the merger, arguing that the circumstances under which the agreement was signed raised questions about the Maharaja’s freedom to make the decision. The statement invoked 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 indicated 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 both the hills and the valley for centuries and alleged that the merger was opposed by the elected government of the time, political parties and sections of the population.
It also invoked the principles of self-determination, territorial integrity and state continuity, arguing that the passage of time had not, in its view, settled the question of Manipur’s political status.
Calling October 15 a day of mourning over what it considers the loss of Manipur’s sovereignty and political rights, CorCom urged the public to support the shutdown.
The allegations and legal interpretations contained in the statement represent CorCom’s position on the 1949 merger.