Manipur king's representatives announce separation from India

LONDON: Manipur leaders Yamben Biren and Narengbam Samarjit have announced separation from India and announced to form the Manipur State Council on behalf of King of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba, ARY News reported.

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Speaking to international media at a press conference, Chief Minister of Manipur State Council Yamben Biren and Minister of External Affairs and Defence of Manipur State Council Narengbam said that they were speaking on behalf of the Maharaja of Manipur High Highness the Leishemba Sanajaoba to formally launch the exiled government, “the Manipur State Council” which will be based in London.

Yamben Biren and Narengbam Samarjit confirmed that they have already applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in September 2019, fleeing persecution by the Indian state as declaring independence in India would have led them to be arrested and killed arbitrarily by the Indian security forces.

Manipur leaders produced a document before the media showing that His Highness the Maharaja of Manipur had authorised them by the Order dated March 15, 2013, to solve the political problems of the State of Manipur.

Manipur leaders said Narendra Modi’s govt is intolerant and believes in the physical annihilation of small nations

They said: “We believe that now is the right time to form the Independent Government of Manipur before the international community to announce our independent status and to seek recognition. We call on the members of the United Nations for their recognition of the exile Government of the Manipur.”

“The three million Manipuri people want recognition as one of the precious native nations. Our attempts to engage with the Indian government were met with hate and hostilities. It was not possible for us to declare the independence of Manipur while in India because we, the Ministers of the Manipur State Council, would have faced arrest, torture and extra-judicial killings at the hands of the Indian forces.”

Manipur leaders said that Narendra Modi’s government is intolerant and believes in the physical annihilation of small nations and communities for the sake of Hindutva supremacy and therefore it was not safe for them to continue operating from India.

They declared: “The Manipur State Council is His Highness’s Government, the Maharaja of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba who is the Maharaja and King of Manipur. His Highness is the constitutional head of the State. Manipur is a constitutional Monarchy ruled State and the sovereign of the King of Manipur is Divine of God.”

They said: “There are more than 1,528 cases of the extra-judicial killing which are pending in the Supreme Court of India. The victims were killed without a trial of law. Indian army forces kill the people of Manipur with impunity. The Manipuri human rights activist Irom Charu Sharmila, known as the ‘Iron Lady of Manipur’, started protest fasting for 16 years against the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and human rights abuses. The brave women of Manipur staged nude protests in front of the Indian Army centers to condemn inhuman torture and killing of innocent people of Manipur.”

They said that Manipur is being ruled through draconian laws by the Indian occupation government “under the Republic Constitution of India including Arms Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958”.

“Thousands of people have been killed since the occupation of Manipur. Nearly 4500 have been killed unlawfully in the last 10 years and more than 1500 are in prisons in illegal custody. The total loss of life stands at around 15,000 in the last few decades, they said referring to a BBC report which had unearthed the scale of unlawful killings and human rights violations.”

“The sovereign State of Manipur was excluded from British India by the Order in Council by His Majesty on 27 December 1946 and the Indian Government annexed the Manipur State of India by the violation of the Act 1949,” said Manipur State Council Ministers.

They said that there are many armed groups fighting the Indian forces for the restoration of independence of Manipur from India but they believe in obtaining the objectives by peaceful means.

They said they will present a resolution to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.