Media Team Returns Midway as Security Asks to Conceal ‘Manipur’ Label on Bus

At the Gwaltabi checkpoint in Imphal East, security personnel directed a group of journalists to cover up the words “Manipur State Transport” on their bus. The journalists were heading to Ukhrul to report on the Shirui Lily Festival, a trip facilitated by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur.

The directive caused confusion and concern among the journalists, who questioned why the name “Manipur” needed to be hidden while traveling within the state itself. Viewing the order as unjustified and unacceptable, the journalists chose to leave the official state transport bus and return to Imphal. They later arranged alternative transportation on their own.