The Manipur governor on Wednesday ordered an inquiry after security personnel allegedly stopped a group of 20 journalists in Imphal East district a day ago and directed them to hide the “Manipur State Transport” sign on the government bus they were travelling in.

The incident occurred at the Gwaltabi checkpoint in Imphal East while the group was travelling to cover the Shirui Lily Festival, a cultural event organised by the state tourism department, in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The route to the district passes through several Kuki villages.

The team initially tried to comply with the direction. However, delays due to negotiations with the security forces forced them to cancel the trip and return to Imphal, The New Indian Express reported.

A video of the “Manipur State Transport” sign being covered was circulated widely on social media.

Manipur has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.

President’s Rule was imposed in February this year after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned.

Journalists and civil society groups condemned the security personnel after Tuesday’s incident.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, a Meitei civil society group based in the Imphal Valley, said that the actions of the security personnel seemed like a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the Manipur government within its territory.

The group also called for a 48-hour strike to demand an apology “from the governor over journalist harassment and identity issues, and resignation of chief secreatry, security advisor and DGP [director general of police]”.

“This act represents a gross violation of the state’s dignity and sovereign administrative authority,” the group stated. “It also raises disturbing questions about the operational motives and chain of command within the Indian Army and other central forces deployed in the region.”

The group added that the fact that such an incident could take place during an official government programme underscored “the alarming extent to which central forces have overridden civilian governance in the state”. It asked if Manipur was “under undeclared military rule”.

Demanding an explanation for “these unprecedented actions”, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity said: “Such behaviour is not only careless but also seems to align with the intentions of illegal elements trying to destabilise the region over the past two years.”

Condemning the incident, the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union and the Editors’ Guild Manipur submitted a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, demanding an investigation and action against those responsible, The Hindu reported.

The letter said that the bus had been arranged for the journalists by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations.

“…upon reaching Gwaltabi, personnel from the 4 Mahar Regiment instructed the media team to hide the phrase ‘Manipur State Transport’ printed on the front of the bus,” The Hindu quoted the letter as saying. “The instruction raised concern and confusion among the media professionals, who questioned the logic behind hiding a state government name while operating within the state.”

The letter demanded clarity from the authorities on the reason behind the instruction, according to the newspaper.

“One understands the objections from the Kuki community, though unacceptable, but the central forces supporting the demands of the Kuki is unprecedented and blatantly illegal in the true sense,” the letter read.

The media organisations also called for a “pen down strike” on May 21, which would entail the suspension of all normal duties by journalists, and a boycott of all news related to the Manipur government, The Hindu reported.

Following the uproar, the state chief secretary said that Bhalla had constituted an “inquiry committee to examine the facts and circumstances around the incident”.

In a notice, the chief secretary added that the committee would look into “lapses” and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The committee has been directed to submit a report within 15 days, the notice added.

Meanwhile, Sambit Patra, who is in charge of the northeast for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said that the incident on Tuesday was an “avoidable misunderstanding”, The Ukhrul Times reported.

The incident came days after the police on May 17 said that a first information report had been filed against a student leader from the Kuki community for issuing a threat claiming that Meiteis would not be allowed to cross the buffer zone to attend the Shirui Lily Festival.