“Remove the state ‘Manipur,’ erase it, or cover that part from the inscription of ‘Manipur State Transport’ Bus written on the upper part of the windshield if the vehicle has to pass this route to reach the Shirui Festival venue in Ukhrul.”
This was suggested by security personnel on road patrol (suspected to be from the Maha Regiment of the area) who stopped the bus of ‘Manipur State Transport’ between the Yaingangpokpi-Gwaltabi area. The bus was travelling to Ukhrul with a doyen of journalists to cover the official inauguration of this year’s edition of the Shirui Festival, which is set to begin today and last until the 24th of May.
Perhaps the incident is the first time in the history of Manipur that the state name was asked to be kept hidden while traveling. The incident irritated the group of journalists travelling to cover the event, and they decided to return from the place.
The said bus was arranged by DIPR especially for the journalists who would be travelling to Ukhrul for the coverage. The incident brought a new controversy on the ground about why the security had to ask this, for whom, and for what reason.
