KCP greets on 18th Raising Day of MFL-II
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 13 2022: After 7 years of devastation, Kangleipak established good relation with the British and residency of British political agent was established from 1835 onwards.

Though Kangleipak regained freedom with the help of the British, neighbouring kingdoms of Kangleipak fell into the British one by one.

The British took complete control of Cachar in 1832, Assam in 1842, southern Awa in 1852, Naga hills in 1866, Lushai hills in 1872, Kohima in 1878-79 and northern Awa in 1885.When the entire neighbours of Kangleipak were occupied by the colonial British, Kangleipak continued to help the British, MAC recounted.

MAC also recalled historical events and conflict among princes which led to Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 and said that the war was the important phase of Kanglei history.

During the time, the entire neighbours of Kangleipak were already occupied by the British and the colonial British were awaiting opportune moment to occupy Kangleipak and started interfering in the internal affairs of the sovereign kingdom.

The then British viceroy Lord Lansdowne directed Assam's chief commissioner JW Quinton to informed British India government's order about appointment of Kullachandra as the king and arrest of Jubaraj Tikendrajit for exile to outside.

On March, 22, 1891, JW Quinton reached Kangleipak along with 490 British army led by Lt Colonel C Mc D Skene.

King Kullachandra was told to arrest Tikendrajit and handover him to the British force.

The British used various tactics to arrest Tikendrajit when the king did not hand over and the British attacked the royal palace on March 24, 1891 at 3.30am to arrest Tikendrajit but unable to arrest him and got defeated.

After the British declared ceasefire, both the sides agreed and stopped firing.

On the charge of sudden attack on the royal palace, five British officers namely J W Quinton, then 42 Gurkha Regiment commander Lt Colonel C Mc D Skene, assistant secretary to Assam's chief commissioner W H Cossins, Lt Simpson and political agent St Clair Grimwood were given death sentence.

On the charge of killing the five British officers, British forces from three sides (Kohima, Silchar and Tammu) attacked Kangleipak and thus the Anglo-Manipur War broke out in 1891.Though many fighters like Yaiskul Lakpa, Chinglensana, Paona Brajabasi and Wangkhei Meiraba, etc.

sacrificed their lives in the war, Kangleipak was defeated and fell into the hands of the mighty British.

Accordingly, the Union Jack flag of British was hoisted for the first time at Kangla on April 27, 1891 and Kangleipak became a colony of the mighty British, the MAC recalled.

Even though Kangleipak restored its sovereign status after the British left in 1947, India occupied Kangleipak in 1949 and since then India government has been using different means to erase and distort history of Kangleipak.

India is now linking Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 as a part of India's freedom movement, the MAC added.

According to the MAC statement, the pan India 'Har Ghar Triranga' campaign from August 13 to 15 as part of PM Modi's 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahostsav' indeed is an old campaign initiated by 'Hindutva' advocate Vinayak Damodar Sarvarkar and such campaign should not dilute or wrongly interpret August 13 Patriots' Day of Kangleipak.

The 'Har Ghar Triranga' campaign indeed is a ploy of India government to erase the history of Kangleipak permanently from the minds of the Kanglei people, the MAC said and maintained that Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 was never a part of India's freedom movement but it was a war for Kangleipak' freedom.

It also said that Kangleipak was forcibly occupied by India in 1949 after 58 years of the Anglo - Manipur War and there is nothing to confuse about the war though India government is deliberately trying to make confusion over it.

While highlighting difference between observance of Patriots' Day of Kangleipak on August 13 and India's Independence Day celebration on August 15, the MAC said that the Patriots' Day observance cannot be clubbed with India's Independence Day celebration.

It further said that Kanglei people have no reason to join India's Independence Day celebration.

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