IMPHAL: The demolition of the historic Manipur Rajbari, also known as Red Land Building in Shillong, has sparked outrage among the people of Manipur.
Inner Manipur MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam described the act as a “direct assault on the dignity and history of Manipur.”
The heritage estate was formally handed over to the Manipur govt by the Meghalaya govt in Aug 2021, following which a Manipur Bhavan is being constructed near the building, where the contentious agreement for the merger of Manipur to the Indian Union was signed in 1949.
Akoijam expressed deep shock and sadness over the demolition. He said the demolished building was the residence of the Manipur Maharaja where the merger agreement was signed, a key event in the integration of Manipur into post-colonial India. The MP said instead of being destroyed, the monument should have been protected under heritage laws and developed into a tourist and educational site.
“It feels as if someone is trying to obliterate a historical moment and erase evidence of our past,” he said, urging immediate steps to rebuild the place in its original design and preserve it as a national heritage site. The MP said he would write to the appropriate authorities to investigate who ordered the demolition and stressed that the state govt must clarify its role in the incident.
Meanwhile Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh has requested Governor AK Bhalla to look into who ordered the demolition of an iconic old building in Meghalaya’s Shillong linked to Manipur’s history.
Following protests over the demolition of the historically significant building, Manipur’s Planning and Development Authority (PDA) yesterday clarified the structure would be built again by retaining the original architectural design. The PDA is the implementing agency of the “reconstruction/restoration” project.
The Meitei Heritage Society has said a piece of Manipur’s history has been erased with the demolition of the Rajbari. It also said there is no logic in demolishing a historic building to build a replica.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma clarified that the Meghalaya govt had no involvement in the demolition. Responding to media queries in Imphal, he said, “There was no activity from the govt of Meghalaya or any of its agencies involved in the demolition. It was completely a matter of the Manipur govt.”
Redlands Building was the venue where the last ruler of the princely state of Manipur, Maharaja Bodhachandra Singh, signed an agreement with the Union of India in September 1949 to merge the princely state with it.
The building also served as the home of the last ruler of Manipur in Shillong, a picturesque hill city that became the capital of Meghalaya in 1972.
