Manipur: NRFM Calls 24-Hour Statewide Bandh Over 1949 Merger Agreement
The proscribed National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) has called a 24-hour statewide bandh from midnight on September 20 to midnight on September 21, 2026, opposing the 1949 Manipur Merger Agreement.
In a statement, NRFM Information and Publicity Secretary Sanajaoba Meitei described the merger as an alleged unlawful annexation of Manipur’s sovereignty and questioned the circumstances surrounding the signing of the agreement.
The outfit said essential services, including healthcare, water supply, electricity and media, will remain exempted from the bandh.
NRFM also questioned the constitutional validity of the agreement signed on September 21, 1949, between then Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh and representatives of the Dominion of India. The group claimed that the agreement was signed under coercion and without the consent of the then-elected Manipur Legislative Assembly.
The outfit cited the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947, and the legislative institutions established in 1948 to support its position that Manipur had its own constitutional framework before the merger took effect on October 15, 1949.
The bandh coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the agreement, with NRFM reiterating its longstanding position on the political status of Manipur.
