The Manipur administration has clarified that it had “no role” in the May 20 incident in which the state’s name was concealed from a Manipur State Transport bus carrying journalists to the Shirui Festival in Ukhrul.

A statement issued late on Tuesday by Manipur chief secretary P.K. Singh said there had been “no instructions whatsoever or even remote thought of covering the name of the state, as has been alleged”.

“This has been amply clarified by the state government as well as by the responsible political leadership. What transpired on the ground, would be revealed after a thorough inquiry only.”

The statement further said the state administration has taken “the reported untoward incident” with “utmost seriousness and the incident is deeply regretted”.

The statement added: “In response, the governor has constituted an inquiry committee comprising of the commissioner (home) and the secretary (IT) which is to submit its report in a timebound manner. We would like to assure all concerned that once the report is submitted and those responsible for the lapses, if any, are identified, strict action would be taken.”

Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had on May 21 constituted a two-member inquiry committee to probe incident which saw security forces allegedly instructing DIPR staffers accompanying the journalists that the words “Manipur State Transport (MST)” be concealed from the Ukhrul-bound state-run bus.

However, the administration’s clarification over the incident failed to cut ice with the protesters who are steadfast in their demand for an apology from the governor.