Imphal: Normal life was disrupted across Manipur on Monday as the proscribed National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) enforced a 24-hour statewide bandh against the 1949 Manipur Merger Agreement.
The shutdown began at midnight on September 20 and is scheduled to continue until midnight on September 21, 2026. The outfit has described the 1949 merger of Manipur with India as an illegal annexation of the state’s sovereignty.
Ahead of the bandh, a joint team of the Manipur Police Special Commando Unit and 10 Assam Rifles arrested an alleged active NRFM cadre.
The arrested person was identified as 39-year-old Namoijam Boboi Mangang, son of N. Meipak Singh of Haorang Khunou Warok Sabal in Imphal West. He was apprehended near Gate 1 of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Lamphel, under Lamphel police station.
The bandh affected several aspects of daily life, with educational institutions, banks, shops, business establishments and private offices remaining closed. Public transport also stayed off the roads, while security vehicles were seen patrolling sensitive areas.
Attendance at government offices was reportedly low as the shutdown continued.
Inter-state road transport was also suspended, cutting off road connectivity between Manipur and other parts of the country. However, airline services continued to operate normally.
The impact of the bandh was reportedly more pronounced in the valley districts, while the hill areas witnessed relatively limited disruption. Essential services, including healthcare, fire services, water supply, media activities and ritual-related functions, were exempted from the shutdown.
The NRFM, which was formed on September 11, 2011, is a proscribed insurgent outfit that has reportedly operated from outside India while carrying out activities in Manipur. The group has been demanding what it describes as restoration of Manipur’s sovereignty.
The bandh came despite an appeal from Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to civil society organisations and the public to avoid calling bandhs and general strikes.
The chief minister has said such shutdowns cause significant difficulties for daily-wage workers, students and other vulnerable sections of society.