Imphal, Sept. 19 -- The proscribed National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) has called for a 24-hour statewide bandh from midnight on September 20 to midnight on September 21, 2026, in opposition to the 1949 Manipur Merger Agreement.

In a statement issued by its Information and Publicity Secretary Sanajaoba Meitei, the outfit described the merger as an alleged unlawful annexation of Manipur's sovereignty and questioned the circumstances under which the agreement was signed.

The NRFM said the shutdown would exempt essential services, including healthcare, water supply, electricity and the media.

The outfit also questioned the constitutional validity of the agreement signed on September 21, 1949, between Manipur's then Maharaja Bodhch...