The demolition of Shillong’s Redlands Building on Friday has stunned people across Manipur and Meghalaya. The once‑iconic structure, built in the 1940s, housed the royal home of Maharaja Bodhachandra and was the site where the Manipur Merger Agreement with India was signed on September 21, 1949.
The building’s collapse came while Meghalaya’s Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) leader, Conrad K. Sangma, was visiting Imphal to discuss the latest ethnic tensions in Manipur. Sangma said in a press briefing that the Meghalaya government had no role in the demolition and refused any permission for the work. He added that his administration has always supported heritage preservation and promised a high‑level investigation.
“Remember the heritage we promised to protect,” Sangma told reporters. “I will look into how this happened, because it was done in my state.”
Experts and heritage groups said the Redlands was a vital part of Manipur’s cultural memory. Despite appeals from the Meitei Heritage Society, former Union Minister Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and other historians, the site was torn down, reportedly to make space for a new Manipur Bhavan.
The loss has angered many. Members of the community, historians, and citizens call for accountability from both state governments. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Congress MP for Inner Manipur, called the demolition a “direct assault on our dignity and history.” Akoijam said the building represented a key chapter in India’s story and that it should have been protected under heritage laws or turned into a tourist site.
He demands that the Indian government officially recognize the Redlands as a National Heritage site and restore it to its original form.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage in both states, sparking debates over how India preserves its historic monuments and the legacy of its post‑colonial integration.
Source: ianslive
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