The Manipur government has issued a notification, warning against renaming of districts and institutions without its prior approval, adding that anyone found violating the directive shall be prosecuted under relevant laws.
The missive comes shortly after a Churachandpur-based Zo outfit allegedly christened the district as ‘Lamka’.
The sensitive Churachandpur district was the epicentre of the May 3 violence between the valley-dominated Meitei community and the hill inhabitants, the Kuki community. In the violence, over 150 people have been killed and at least 60,000 people have been displaced.
“No one shall make or attempt to make any deliberate act of renaming districts, sub-divisions, places, institutions and address of such institutions without the approval of the state government,” the order issued by Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on Thursday read.
“It has come to the notice of the state government of Manipur from reliable sources that many civil society organisations, institutions, establishments and persons are deliberately renaming or trying to rename districts… which are objectionable, or likely to create controversy and conflict between communities residing in the state, more particularly in the context of the ongoing law and order crisis…,” the notification said.
The matter is viewed with “utmost sensitivity as the same practice… is likely to create divide or aggravate the current law and order situation in the state ” it said.
“All Central and State government authorities, management, institutions, establishment, autonomous bodies are also advised to check the name or address of respective offices/establishments under them in all signage, official communications, websites, all documents related to services provided, etc., and also to ensure compliance of the orders,” it said.
In Churachandpur district, nearly every signboard — outside houses, shops, government institutions and offices — that bore the name ‘Churachandpur’ has been overwritten with spray paint with the name ‘Lamka’, reported The Indian Express in July.
The name ‘Lamka’ means ‘crossroads’ in Kuki dialects.
Earlier, BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh had written to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia after it came to light that Air India tickets referred to the airport ticketing office of Imphal as “Air India, ATO Imphal Airport, Lamka”.
“This is totally unacceptable on the part of Air India to have made this gross error and act of negligence/conspiracy to have altered the name from Imphal to Lamka in the official ticket,” said Singh, who is the son-in-law of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in a post on X on July 5.