CorCom salutes heroes of Khongjom War
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 22 2022: The proscribed CorCom has paid rich tributes to all the martyrs and heroes of the Khongjom War 1891 who laid down their lives while fighting against the invading British forces in defence of Manipur's sovereignty.

A press release issued by CorCom claimed that Manipur would not have existed today without the contribution of 'our forefathers who valued the freedom of Manipur more than their lives' .

It alleged that the initiative being taken up by the Central Government to recall and remember the 'forgotten heroes' of India freedom struggle as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is only to fulfil its "one Nation, one people, one culture" ideal.

Claiming that Hinduism and foreign culture and tradition started to expand in Manipur in the 18th century, CorCom alleged that 'colonial India' has also been rewriting history to project Manipur as a part of India.

The history, however, is based only on truth and Kangleipak was an erstwhile independent kingdom with its own culture and tradition, CorCom claimed.

Further claiming that Manipur was never under the rule of British as per the agreement signed by the two sides in 1891 and Manipur never paid any reparation to the British, CorCom maintained that Kangleipak was also defined as a small and beautiful land which is not under India in the book "The Manipur War" published in Calcutta.

Even the British used to take permission from the king of the erstwhile kingdom to pass through Kangleipak, it claimed.

Claiming that some section of people have been trying to wrongly depict the hoisting of the tricolour at Moirang on April 14, 1944 as a part of the country's freedom movement, CorCom alleged that the second world war, however, was fought between two colonisers and INA played a major part in it.

Further alleging that Manipuris have no valid reason to take part in the Flag Hoisting Day which is celebrated every year on April 14 to commemorate the hoisting of tricolour flag, CorCom claimed that the Centre has also been attempting to depict the son of King Chourajit, Narendrajit who took part in the sepoy mutiny to drive away the British from Barak valley as a hero of India's freedom movement.

Urging the people of Manipur to never forget that 'we are the group which have been striving to win freedom from the colonial yoke of India," CorCom further claimed that "we should be very vigilant as India has been waging war against India from all directions" .

It also claimed that Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is only an event which reminds that Kangleipak has been oppressed by colonial India for the last many decades.

The move of the Centre to impose Hindi in the WESEA is just another strategy to suppress the people of the region, it claimed and alleged that forcing the students to learn a certain language under pressure is nothing but a violation of democratic rights.

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