Manipur: Meitei protesters lock 2 central govt offices amid 'name cover's stand-off

Meitei protestors have locked up two central government offices in Manipur as a faceoff intensifies over the “deliberate” omission of the state’s name from a government bus headed to a festival last week.

On Tuesday, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) activists, an organisation that represents the Meitei group, barged into the office of the chief electoral officer at Lamphelpat. The protestors ordered the staff to leave the building, following which they locked its main gate.

Later, the Geological Survey of India’s office was targeted, with protestors shouting slogans like “apologise or leave Manipur” at Governor AK Bhalla.

Last week’s controversy erupted after a Manipur State Transport (MST) bus carrying journalists to cover the festival was stopped at the Gwaltabi checkpoint by personnel from the 4th Mahar Regiment.

More from India

Why Manipur’s Shirui Lily Festival has turned into a flashpoint over identity Manipur governor airlifted to Raj Bhavan to avoid massive Meitei protests on road

The security forces allegedly instructed the media team to cover the words “Manipur State Transport” on the bus’s windshield with white paper, an act perceived as a deliberate attempt to erase the state’s identity.

The controversial order triggered widespread outrage among the Meitei community, who regard the state’s name as a vital emblem of their identity and historical pride. The incident forced the media team to abandon their assignment and return to Imphal, further fueling resentment.

It is important to know that Manipur has been under the president’s rule since February 2025.

The removal of the state’s name from the vehicle was widely condemned as a direct insult to Manipur’s dignity, and what ensued was a wave of public outrage, mass protests, and shutdowns that reignited simmering tensions over identity, autonomy, and the role of security forces in the conflict-ridden state.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'New dawn': PM Modi meets Manipur violence victims in first visit since 2023 unrest

CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as Vice President of India

The situation turned so tense that Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had to be airlifted in an Army helicopter, earlier this week, to avoid major protests on his way from Imphal airport to Raj Bhawan.

Governor Bhalla, who had flown to New Delhi on May 21 with Chief Secretary PK Singh, returned to Imphal today. The reason for his visit to the capital has not been made public.