Remembering the day when the British forces occupied Kangla in 1891 after the Anglo-Manipur war and the Union Jack was unfurled at Kangla in place of the flag of the independent kingdom of Manipur and the state losing its sovereignty, the Dark Day was observed on Thursday at GM Hall in Imphal.
During the 25th Dark Day observance, organised jointly by the International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA) and Dark Day Organising Committee 2023, a two minutes silence was observed in remembrance of the great souls who had laid down their lives defending the sovereignty of Manipur. Floral tribute was also paid to those living souls.
Speaking on the occasion, Wangkhei MLA Th Arunkumar said despite being a small kingdom in terms of area, Manipur was one of the independent kingdoms in the history of South East Asia.
Pointing out that Manipur lost its independence twice (during seven years of devastation and the British colonial rule), he said, "However, none of the invaders are able to rule our souls though we lose our freedom".
Stating that this specific Dark Day should be kept in the heart of every Manipuri, he stressed the need for following the footsteps of those bravehearts and protecting the state from being overtaken by outsiders and illegal immigrants. There is a big apprehension that incidents like seven years of devastation will happen again in the state, he added.
Calling on all the indigenous people to stay alert from those anti-social groups, he encouraged all the indigenous to have the spirit of patriotism like the fore-father.
As a part of the observance, descendants of the Anglo-Manipur War heroes were also honoured.
The programme was also attended by president of IPSA T Birjit; assistant director of AIR Imphal Gin Gante; assistant grade of MU Central Museum RK Bidyapati Chanu; national and international awardee H Ibotombi Khuman; news editor of AIR Imphal Th Jogendrajit; historian N Joykumar and advisor of IPSA Kh Luwangcha Chingkhei as presidium members.
