CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: A storm of outrage erupted in Shillong on Wednesday morning as the Manipuri Elders’ Consortium Shillong (MECS) spearheaded a mass demonstration condemning the demolition of the historic Manipur Rajbari at Red Lands, Boyce Road — a site that once stood as the living embodiment of Manipur’s royal legacy and its political heritage. The protesters demanded immediate accountability, the dismissal of those responsible, and the reconstruction of a full-scale replica of the Rajbari to restore what they termed “a symbol of Manipuri pride.”
Munish Singh, Convenor of MECS, minced no words, alleging, “The PDA acted under the order of higher authorities from Manipur. It involves both the Art and Culture Department and the Planning and Development Authority because they worked hand in hand. We cannot blame the Mistri since they followed orders. The duty of Art and Culture was to guide and ensure that proper restoration was done.”
Outlining the community’s demands, he declared, “Two things we want — those who are involved in the demolition should be sacked. They should not be allowed to enter the Manipur Bhawan in Shillong, whether they are PDA officials or caretakers. And secondly, even though the house has been brought down, certain woods and planks are still good and can be reused. We want the bungalow rebuilt exactly as it was, using as much of the remaining material as possible.”
Recalling the events, N. Munish Singh who is also the Zonal Director (North-East) ICCR said, “We were in Shillong when the house was demolished, and we were protesting. The house was demolished on October 8, but we had been pursuing the concerned officers in Manipur involved in reconstructing or renovating this house. We even went to Imphal from Shillong to ensure that the demolition should not be done. We urged the Hon’ble Governor on September 8 and wrote to him, requesting his intervention to see that the house is properly restored with experts from Shillong.”
He added, “We approached the PDA Secretary and Commissioner and Secretary of Arts and Culture, Mr. Gyan Prakash. We met him in his office and gave him a representation that no such demolition should be done, but restoration should take place because of the house’s historical importance.”
Recounting official assurances, Singh said, “We got assurance because last time, the Superintendent of Archaeology and the Director of Art and Culture visited here. They assured that the same kind of wood used earlier will be verified with forest experts and reused. We are half confident they will fulfil their assurance, half not. We will monitor and ensure that nothing happens for the greed of money — this should happen for the people and pride of Manipur. The bungalow should rise again at the site where Churachand Maharaj once stayed. The merger agreement between the King of Manipur and the Government of India’s representative was signed here. This bungalow is the pride of the Meiteis.”
Students, youth, and community members joined the protest in solidarity, denouncing the demolition as “an assault on living history.” They demanded immediate punitive action against those responsible and vowed to continue their agitation until the “pride of the Meiteis” is rebuilt.
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