People in many parts of Manipur celebrated the renaming of Mount Harriet in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Mount Manipur, by lighting candles in front of their houses on Sunday evening.
This is in response to an appeal by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. He said it was a matter of happiness that the BJP leaders had decided to give due recognition to the erstwhile princes and Army officers of Manipur who revolted against the British.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the renaming on Saturday during his visit to the Andamans, in recognition of the revolt in Manipur during 1857-1891.
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The princes in Manipur were at loggerheads over kingship then. As part of the British’s divide and rule policy, prince Bir Tikendrajit and military commander Thangal General were tried in a kangaroo court, which sentenced them to death along with other officials. Both Tikendrajit and Thangal General were hanged to death in public at the Manipur polo ground. Some other lower rung officials were hanged inside the prison in Imphal on charges of revolting against the government.
Prince Kulachandra and 22 others were deported to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for serving long prison terms for revolting against the British government. Officials say that in view of his good behaviour, prince Kulachandra was shifted to a bungalow there later. Nothing is known of the other prisoners.
Some years back, Imphal-based journalists had gone to the islands to unearth the particulars of other prisoners. However, nothing much could be learned.
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