Imphal: Seven proscribed insurgent groups have called for a statewide shutdown in Manipur on October 15 to mark what they describe as “National Black Day”, protesting the state’s merger with India in 1949.

The Coordination Committee (CorCom), an umbrella organisation comprising six banned underground outfits, has announced a 12-hour shutdown from 6 am to 6 pm on October 15. The coalition consists of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), PREPAK-Pro, Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) and United National Liberation Front (UNLF).

Separately, the Socialist Revolutionary Party (SOREPA) has called for a parallel 12-hour strike from 5 am to 5 pm on the same day. Both organisations have stated that essential services, including medical emergencies, media operations and religious activities, will remain exempt from the shutdown.

In separate statements issued through their respective publicity wings, CorCom and SOREPA said October 15 is observed annually to protest Manipur’s merger with India, referring to the state by its former name, Kangleipak. The groups alleged that the merger violated international and domestic legal provisions, citing Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947, and the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

The insurgent outfits also claimed that the late King Bodhchandra was pressured into signing the Manipur Merger Agreement in Shillong on September 21, 1949, allegedly under house arrest and at gunpoint.

CorCom further linked the demolition of the historic Redlands building in Shillong in October 2025 to what it described as a continuing pattern of aggressive annexation.

Meanwhile, SOREPA criticised India’s post-independence policies, alleging that the country adopted an imperialist approach by bringing smaller nations under its control and fuelling communal tensions. The outfit contrasted this with global decolonisation movements and called on the public to continue resisting what it termed colonial occupation.

Both groups urged people to observe the shutdown, reiterating their opposition to Manipur’s 1949 merger with India.