New Delhi: The Manipur government’s decision to declare Easter Sunday (March 31) as a working day sparked outrage among the Christian community of the violence-hit state and nationally.
The order issued by the Manipur government’s general administration department on Wednesday, March 27, said Saturday (March 30) and Sunday (March 31) will be working days for all government offices, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, societies under the state government “for the smooth functioning of offices in the last few days of the financial year (2023-24)”.
The figures of the 2011 census are telling: Christians constitute 40.1% (2.8 million) of Manipur’s population, and most of them belong to Kuki, Zo, and Naga communities.
There was an immediate reaction. Hindustan Times reported that, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella body of tribal groups, said the order is to hurt the sentiments of the Christian community. “There are many Christians in Manipur. Sunday is a day of rest and we have Easter Sunday,” said ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong to the newspaper.
On a similar note, Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me, an apex body of Naga student groups, also issued a statement requesting the government to withdraw the order.
The initial order has once again reopened the old faultlines drawn between Hindu-majority Meiteis and Christain majority Kukis and Nagas. The ethnic violence which broke out on May 3 last year has so far claimed over 200 lives and has displaced over 50,000 peop
By 4 p.m., the state government had to backtrack and a second order was issued declaring March 31, Sunday to be a holiday.
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