IMPHAL, July 6 - The nine day-long celebration of Kang (Rath Jatra) festival began with pomp and gaiety in Manipur on Wednesday. The main events of the festival include the pulling of Kang, the traditional chariot and offering of flowers and fruits to Shree Shree Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.
The pulling of Kang was held at Shree Shree Govindajee temple complex here. A large number of devotees turned up in their traditional festival attires at the Palace Gate and temple to take part in the festival despite a downpour.
The ISKCON temple here also celebrated the festival by pulling a mini Kang along the Airport Road.
Besides, the State also celebrated Kang Chingba festival, besides holding religious rituals in the evenings at mandaps and community halls. The festival, which will conclude on July 14, also witnesses daily community feasts.
Meanwhile, the Muslim community in the State celebrated Id-Ul-Fitre festival on Wednesday. Id-Ul-Fitre is celebrated in a spirit of peace, love and universal brotherhood, said Governor V Shanmuganathan in a message.
Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh attended the festival in the morning while Lok Sabha MP and in charge of Manipur BJP Prahlad Singh Patel along with State BJP leaders took part in the Kang Chingba in the afternoon.
Ultra leader found killed: A senior cadre of United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF), a tribal armed group which is a signatory to Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the government, who was reportedly missing since Saturday, was found killed, reports said. The missing UKLF cadre was identified as Jamkholal Zou alias George (39) of Kholim village near Sugnu, sources said.
PCI moots guidelines: The three member Press Council of India (PCI) team led by Ravindra Kumar has expressed the need to amend guidelines laid down by PCI considering the inconveniences faced by scribes working in conflict-ridden areas such as Manipur, by September this year.
The PCI team said that the Council needs to set long term as well as short term goals to resolve the misunderstanding which erupted between NIA and the media fraternity of the State. The delegation which arrived here on Monday returned to Delhi on Wednesday.
