Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday afternoon took a chopper from Imphal airport to reach the Raj Bhawan, a distance of 6km, owing to the ongoing protest seeking his apology for the removal of the state’s name from a bus carrying journalists to Ukhrul on May 20.
Bhalla landed at the Imphal airport around 2.30 pm and took an Army chopper to Kangla Fort, about 300 metres from the Raj Bhawan, after protesters gathered in large numbers on Tiddim Road in anticipation of his arrival.
Given the overall tension and to avoid any untoward incident, Bhalla opted to take the chopper ride, reports said.
The ongoing protest, which entered its second day on Monday, was called by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi) demanding an apology from the governor and also the resignation or transfer of the chief secretary, the director-general of police and the security adviser for the May 20 bus incident.
The governor was in Delhi on an official trip since May 21.
The protesters had formed a 2.5km human chain from the airport to Kwakeithel in protest, a Cocomi member said.
The protesters had started gathering from 1am and carried placards calling for the governor’s apology. However, Bhalla took off for Raj Bhawan at around 3pm on the Army chopper.
Cocomi women’s wing convener R.K. Tharaksana hit out at Bhalla for not facing the peaceful protesters while describing his chopper move as unfortunate.
She said the governor taking the chopper to bypass the protesters showed that the administration was in the wrong over the bus incident, while asserting that the protests would continue until their demands, including an apology from the governor, were met.
A seven-member Cocomi team left for Delhi before the arrival of Bhalla for talks with the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on the ongoing Manipur crisis.
On Tuesday’s meeting with the MHA, the Cocomi said: “Originally convened to push forward pending political and security processes, the meeting agenda has now expanded due to the Gwaltabi (bus) incident and resulting public unrest. The incident has been aggravated by the continued inaction of the Governor and administrators under President’s Rule.”