The Manipur government has constituted a 15-member committee to oversee that books on history, culture, tradition, and geography of the state are published with “accurate information”, an order issued by the Higher and Technical Education Department said on Thursday.
The government took the decision to set up the committee after claiming that some books have distorted facts about the state and had the potential to create disharmony among the communities of Manipur.
Manipur is home to several ethnic groups like Kuki, Meitei, Naga. Each ethnic group has fought for its own idea of a homeland because of competing claims to land that emerge from competing histories.
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Manipur Education Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Th Basanta Singh will be the chairperson of the committee which will also include vice chancellors of Manipur University and Dhanamanjuri University among other professors.
According to the order, those who wish to publish a book on Manipur’s geography, history, culture, and tradition will now have to submit an application to state director of Higher Education and University along with a copy of the manuscript.
The committee will go through the manuscript and decide on its approval. The order also mentioned that those who fail to comply with the order will be punished under relevant laws.
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