The merger agreement of Manipur with the Indian Union was signed between the Maharaja of Manipur Shri (L) Bodha Chandra Singh and Shri V.P. Menon, Advisor to the Government of India, Ministry of States, on behalf of the Dominion of India on 21st September, 1949 at Shillong, in which the Maharaja of Manipur surrendered his territory, titles, authority, rights and privileges, except his personal properties and religious rites, and received a sum of Rs. 3 lakhs per year.
Thus, the sovereignty and independence of Manipur as a Country came to and end on the date the Maharaja appended his signature on the historic merger agreement (Annexure - x).
The Total area of Manipur merger agreement covered was the territory of 700 sq. miles or 26, 500 paris/hectares.
NO MERGER OF THE TRIBAL CHIEFS AND THEIR TERRITORIES
The power and authorities of the tribe chiefs are supreme in the land of the tribes in Manipur.
They are the lords of the soil within the territory they occupied, ruled and governed. They collected taxes and levies from their subjects independently.
SO, THE MERGER AGREEMENT SIGNED BY THE MANIPURI MAHARAJA DID NOT COVER THE TERRITORY OCCUPIED BY THE TRIBAL CHIEFS AND THEIR SUBJECTS, BECAUSE THE MAHARAJA OF MANIPUR WAS NOT A TRIBAL REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAD AUTHORITY TO ACT ON THEIR BEHALF AND THE TRIBALS WERE NOT HIS SUBJECTS.
At the same time the accession instrument signed on 21st September, 1949 did not cover the hill areas which has been a separate entity (Annexure -y).
The merger of Manipur to India in 1949 testified that all the ruling Chiefs and notable native states of British India except the ruling Chiefs of the tribals in outer Manipur are merged with India.
Sd/-
E. Vungkholian
President
Sd/-
Wishington Shinglai
General Secretary
(Extracted from "TERRITORIAL RIGHTS OF OUTER MANIPUR TRIBALS" a documents compiled by "All Tribal Students' Union Manipur"
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