CorCom salutes Jadonang

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Aug 27: The CorCom has offered revolutionary salute to freedom fighter Haipou Jadonang on his 88th death anniversary.
Jadonang’s freedom movement against colonial rule is becoming more and more relevant to the contemporary period and the importance of August 29, 1931, the day he paid with his life for the Nation, is growing day by day, claimed a statement issued by the CorCom publicity committee.
Jadonang was born to Thiudau and Tabonliu in 1905 at Kambiron, Tamenglong. Since childhood, Jadonang was courageous and intelligent and he grew up with a strong sense of patriotism, it said.
He openly challenged the colonial and feudal systems of forced labour, imposition of tax on each and every household, etc.
Soon, he started challenging the British colonial rule itself and launched a freedom movement.
He strongly believed that all the sinister designs of the colonial could be exposed glaringly if the indigenous traditions and religious faith were revived and promoted vigorously, said CorCom.
Haipou Jadonang’s movement to protect the indigenous people from colonial oppression and free them from the colonial yoke became a serious problem to the British colonial rulers, it said.
Subsequently, the British colonial rulers hatched a conspiracy at the highest level to terminate Jadonang on a false charge.
Jadonang was arrested from Binakandi, Cachar on February 19, 1928. He was tried by then Political Agent JC Higgins who served as both prosecutor and Judge without giving any opportunity of self-defence to the prisoner.
Jadonang, then only 26 years old, was hung to death    on the bank of Nambul River behind the present Imphal Central Jail at 6.30 am of August 9, 1931, the CorCom recalled.
Had Jadonang lived longer either as prisoner or as a free leader, his freedom movement could have changed the history of the Zeliangrong community and the whole of Kangleipak, it remarked.
As a result of prolonged alleged subjugation of the people of Manipur by Indian rulers who succeeded the British colonial rulers using soft cultural tools, all the indigenous people of the land are fast losing their identity.
At the same time, Government of India has been employing different covert policies which are all aimed at annihilating the whole indigenous population of Manipur.
The only way to save the indigenous people from this impending doom is unification and to wage a united liberation struggle against common enemy India, it asserted.
The CorCom then appealed to all the hill people and plain people to wage a collective liberation movement against the Indian rule in order to build a sovereign Manipur (Kangleipak).
Honouring freedom fighter Haipou Jadonang would be meaningful only when all the hill people and plain people join hands and wage a progressive liberation movement, it added.