Imphal, Nov. 19: Meitei legend has it that the Kangla is the centre of the earth. For decades now, the Kangla has also been the focal point of Manipur?s fight against what is perceived as naked aggression by Delhi on Meitei history, their land and, above all, their sentiments.
Tomorrow, history will be virtually rewritten when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hands over Kangla Fort to the people of Manipur. If public passion is the yardstick, the event will match the emotions that characterised Britain?s handover of Hong Kong to China.
As bus after bus moved out of Kangla Fort today, carrying Assam Rifles personnel, there was a sense of fulfilment in the hearts of the people.
?I have grown up watching army jawans go in and out of the fort but have never been able to get a view of what is inside. From tomorrow, I hope to be able to go inside. This is our place. ?? asked Ch. Churamani Singh, a retired government official.
Kangla Fort has been a military base ever since the British army occupied it in 1891. An army spokesperson said: ?Though the fort will be handed over officially tomorrow, the handing over of all the assets will take some time. We want to do it properly and do not want any controversy later.?
An Assam Rifles jawan waiting to board a bus that would take him to the paramilitary force?s new base, Mantripukhri, said he felt no emotion on leaving the place. ?For me, it is just another posting at another place. We do what we are told to,? he said.
A group of workers toiled all day long, scrubbing walls to remove loose flakes of paint before applying a new coat of distemper, and polishing the floors, pillars and the main gate.
It was in front of this gate, on July 15, that nine Manipuri women staged a naked protest over Thangjam Manorama?s death in Assam Rifles custody.
As the time for the handover of Kangla Fort to Manipur drew closer, one woman sat quietly in her house and pondered the future. Maharajkumari Binodini Devi, a direct descendant of the royal family, asked: ?What next? I want to know who will look after Kangla Fort from now on. Has the government thought of that??
