Shillong: Agitations and protests over the demolition of the historic Redlands Buildings, also known as Manipur Rajbari, entered their seventh day on Wednesday, as members of the Manipuri Elders’ Consortium, Shillong (MECS) and the Shillong Manipuri Students’ Union (SMSU) gathered at the site in Laitumkhrah to express their outrage.
The demonstrators condemned the demolition as an “unforgivable act of erasing Manipur’s living history,” demanding strict action against officials involved in the removal of the over 95-year-old Redlands Bungalow.
The building, where the historic Merger Agreement of 1949 was signed, marked Manipur’s integration into the Indian Union.
The protests follow the Manipur government’s Planning and Development Authority (PDA) attempt to justify the demolition, placing responsibility on the Department of Art and Culture.
Rejecting the government’s subsequent committee to “monitor and supervise reconstruction,” the protesters called for the inclusion of local Manipuri representatives to ensure transparency and authenticity in any restoration work.
According to MECS and SMSU, the demolition was carried out on October 8 under PDA directives, despite repeated appeals from various organisations and individuals over the past month to preserve the structure through careful restoration.
The abrupt action has been described as a grave insult to Manipur’s cultural and political legacy, fueling suspicions among the public that the demolition was deliberate.
The outrage is not limited to Shillong. Manipuri communities across Meghalaya and Manipur have voiced anger, with growing demands for a high-level independent probe.
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Political parties including the BJP and Congress, senior leaders, MPs, dozens of civil society organisations, student bodies, and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the apex body of the Meitei community, have strongly condemned the demolition and called for an inquiry.
Constructed in the 1940s as one of the residences of Maharaja Bodhachandra Singh, the Redlands Building was reportedly demolished to make way for a new Manipur Bhavan or guest house for the state government.
The act has drawn widespread criticism from historians, scholars, heritage organisations, and citizens, who describe it as an irreparable loss to Manipur’s political and cultural heritage.
