Rajbari demolition, attempt to erase history: KIMACS
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 15 2025: The recent demolition of the Manipur Rajbari in Shillong's Redlands was one of many attempts to undermine and erase Manipur's long history and its existence as an independent State before merger with India, the Kanglei Indigenous Martial Arts and Cultural Society (KIMACS) has asserted.

The Manipur Rajbari was where the Manipur Merger Agreement was signed between Maharaja Bodhchandra and VP Menon, Advisor to Government of India, on September 21, 1949 .

This decades-old building was demolished on October 8, 2025 for "reconstruction", the Planning and Development Authority (PDA) of the Government of Manipur has said.

KIMACS, in its statements to the media today, said it takes the demolition of the historic building as a deliberate and calculated step to undermine and erase a crucial piece of Manipur's history--how the merger agreement was signed and Manipur became part of India.

Maharaja Bodhchandra was called in Shillong and kept under house arrest in the Redlands building, and forced to sign the Manipur Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949 .

Later, on October 15, 1949, Manipur was officially declared part of India, KIMACS said.

The demolition of the historical monument therefore is India's attempt to erase historical evidence, undermine and invalidate Manipur's history, and convert it to a mere oral history, KIMACS asserted.

It then criticised the PDA's justification for demolishing the Rajbari and Meghalaya Chief Minister's clarification that his Government had no hands in it.

Notably, the Manipur Rajbari in Shillong's Redlands was handed over to the Government of Manipur permanently by the Meghalaya Government on August 12, 2021.The Hindustan Times in August 2021 had reported that the legal document certifying the transfer of the Manipur royal property was signed on August 12, 2021 by the Under Secretary to the Revenue & Disaster Management Department and addressed to the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner.

The land, measuring 1.93 acres at Redlands, Laitumkhrah Shillong was transferred to the Government of Manipur, on payment of a premium of Rs 91,04,784 including land revenue with effect from 2008 amounting to Rs 24,271, the HT had reported citing official documents.

While Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was on a 2-day visit to Manipur recently, he had clarified that his Government had no hands in the demolition of the Redlands building.

Meanwhile, in its statement, KIMACS said all authorities involved in the demolition of the historical building must be held accountable and punished, and they should issue a public apology.

KIMACS said it welcomes the constitution of the monitoring and supervision committee to oversee the reconstruction of the Redlands building.

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