Thursday marked an important visit to the state by President Droupadi Murmu, who visited Manipur on a two-day trip to the state, which has been in a long-running social and political unrest. When she arrived, she was given a ceremonial guard of honour at the airport, and then she went to Lok Bhavan, the residence of the governor.
During her visit, Murmu also traveled to the ancient polo ground, Imphal Polo Ground (Mapal Kangjeibung), the oldest polo ground in the world, where she was also present during a game. She was also to attend a reception by the Manipur government and also to lay foundation stones and commence some developmental projects that would enhance the infrastructure of the state and other amenities the citizens need.
The President will also celebrate the women freedom fighters of Manipur on Friday, paying tribute to the gallant figures of the Nupi Lal uprisings of 1904 and 1939. These were historic demonstrations conducted by the Manipuri people, mainly by women, in their resistance to the British colonial rule, and it is observed every year on 12 December. After the tribute ceremony, Murmu will go to the Senapati district, where she is supposed to speak to a large group of people and introduce new development programs aimed at developing the region and improving the lives of the people.
Her visit is timely as Manipur is still recovering following the ethnic violence that was experienced in 2023. The battles between both groups of Meitei and Kuki-Zo led to the death of more than 260 and the displacement of close to 60,000 individuals. The situation of unrest grew as time went by, and it involved several communities, and later caused the state government to be dismissed, and the President’s Rule was imposed at the beginning of this year. It was observed that there were occasional violence cases even after thousands of security personnel were deployed.
In September, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also visited Manipur for the first time in years since the conflict, which indicated that the Centre was again concerned with restoring peace and stability.
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