Museum shows Manipur's freedom fighters as Assam's
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 18 2023: Gandhi Mandap, a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi located on Sarania Hills in Ulubari, Guwahati, is showing four freedom fighters of Manipur namely Bir Tikendrajit, Paona Brajabashi, Haipou Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu as freedom fighters of undivided Assam purporting that Manipur was part of China before independence.

Mahatma Gandhi visited Sarania hills in 1921 and in 1946.The museum was constructed as tribute to the leader, who is regarded as Father of the Nation, and it was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Assam CM Bishnuram Medhi in 1970.The museum houses many historical records and artefacts.

In a recent visit, an individual from Imphal found the photos of the four freedom fighters in two display boards depicting them as freedom fighters of undivided Assam.

The display boards also have photos of other freedom fighters like Gopinath Bordoloi, Helen Lepcha, Kirana Bala Bora, Trilochan Pokhrel, Rebati La-hon, Meena Aggrawal, Krishna Nath Sarmah, Bhogeshwari Phukanani, Moji Riba, Kengki Megu, Kanaklata Baruah, Kushal Konwar, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Maniram Dewan and U Kiang Nongbah.

Sharing the information to The People's Chronicle, the individual said that history shows Manipur as an independent kingdom before the British rule and even during the British rule, it remained as a protectorate.

Post independent, Manipur remained as a sovereign state before the disputed merger with the Union of India.

However, the display boards installed in the Gandhi Mandap depicts Manipur as part of Assam, which amounts to misleading portrayal of history.

Though it is true that present day Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram got bifurcated from Assam, which had its capital in Shillong till 1972, portraying Manipur as a part of undivided Assam is a serious issue, which needs to be rectified, the individual said.

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