Manipur declares working day on Easter, retracts order following furore

The Manipur government which had declared that March 31, which is Easter Sunday, as a “working day” has retracted its order on Thursday following protests by the Christian community.

Christians worldwide celebrate the Easter festival which marks the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion.

The state government on Wednesday said in a notification that March 30 and 31 will be working days in government departments despite being Saturday and Sunday “for smooth functioning of offices in the last few days of the financial year.” The government modified the order on Thursday.

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A notification by the General Administration Department said, “In partial modification of the government order dated March 27, the Governor of Manipur is pleased to declare that only March 30 will be a working day for all government offices including public sector undertakings/ corporations/ autonomous bodies/ societies under the state government…” The modification came after the previous order caused a stir among the Christian population in the northeastern state.

The Tangkhul Naga Baptist Convention, Mao Baptist Churches Association and Senapati District Students Association condemned the order, terming it as a “blatant violation and infringement to the religious rights and freedom of Christians” in the state.