Photo Credit : Pragativadi News Service
In the current Manipur Assembly session, a bill was passed that makes it illegal to change the names of places in the northeastern state. The Manipur Names of Places Bill, 2024, is a piece of legislation that faces up to three years in prison for those who try to change place names. Interestingly, during the bill’s passage, none of the ten Kuki MLAs—including those from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—were present, which raised questions about how inclusive the decision-making process was.
Legislators, mostly from the Meitei community, view this action as the second formal step toward defending their interests. Prior to this, on February 28, during the Winter Session, every Meitei MLA passed a resolution in unanimity calling on the Union government to end the suspension of operations with Kuki armed groups, alleging that they were targeting Meiteis in the midst of ethnic tensions and breaking ground rules.
The enactment of the legislation was prompted by the Manipur Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, pointing out instances in which the Kuki community used different names for specific locations. In particular, Churachandpur, also known as Lamka, which is a region dominated by the Kuki people, was mentioned. Singh highlighted the legal prohibition against renaming a location without the appropriate authorization, citing the historical significance of place names.
The chief minister cited incidents, such as the alleged hacking of Air India’s ticketing office in Imphal, where names were changed along communal lines during the ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict. Singh also emphasized efforts to rename historical sites like Mount Olive and “Thangjing” to “Thangting.”
Any officer discovered to have altered place names without authorization may be prosecuted under the new law, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of Rs. one to three lakh. The law seeks to protect Manipur’s place names’ historical and cultural significance while discouraging attempts to rename communities.
Generated from The Wire and paraphrased by our staff: Reported by Imphal Free Press
