Manmohan to hand over Kangla Fort to Manipur govt

In order to apply a healing touch, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to return the Kangla Fort in Imphal to the state government when he visits Manipur for the first time on November 20.

The Kangla Fort currently houses the Assam Rifles and is the mute symbol of 2,000 years of Manipuri history and the Meitei (Manipuri ruling class) people's struggle against the subjugation.

Built in 33 AD, the Kangla Fort was occupied by British forces in 1891. Manipur's independence in 1947, the Meiteis felt changed nothing for the people of Manipur as the Union Jack was replaced by the tricolour. So after the Garhwal Rifles and then the Assam Rifles took over the 200,000 acres that surround the Kangla Fort.

In the 1980s, the central government mooted the idea of the Assam Rifles vacating the historic fort but the matter dragged on without resolution as the "occupation" of the fort became the symbol of the Manipuris' alienation with the Centre.

When the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government came to power, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil initially was reluctant to get the Assam Rifles out of the fort, terming it as a "real estate solution" to a political problem.

However, apparently, better sense has now prevailed and moves have been initiated to get the Assam Rifles out of the fort at last.

The fort has a number of historic sites within and devotees and visitors have to obtain prior permission from the Assam Rifles and the IRB office located inside the fort, to be forwarded by the state archaeology office, before entering the complex. This is extremely irksome for residents.

Plans are being made to give the handing-over procedure a ceremonial colour.

A civic reception is likely to be held for the Prime Minister in the fort. After the reception, it would be handed over to the state government for building it as a heritage site, official sources said today.

Patil had visited the fort is September during which he was informed that 1,600 of the 1,800 personnel of the Assam Rifles had already been shifted out while the remaining 200 would also be relocated, sources said.

The Prime Minister will also address a convocation of Manipur University on November 20 after which he is likely to visit Jeribam and Mau in other parts of Manipur.

The Prime Minister's Office was constantly in touch with the senior state government officials about the progress in the investigation into the alleged custodial killing of Manorama Devi, which sparked off widespread protests in the state and agitators demanding withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, sources said.

The central government has already agreed to review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and try to replace it with a more humane law, which would not be detrimental to the country's national security and human rights of the citizens.

However, Apunba Lup, an amalgam of group agitating for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, was yet to decide whether they would be meeting the Prime Minster.

Some differences have emerged in the amalgam with the All-Manipur Students Union calling for an emergency meeting tomorrow to decide the course of agitation during the high profile visit.