The Secretariat of the Higher & Technical Education Department, Government of Manipur on 15 September issued an order that has caused a stir in the literary circle, unfortunately not a positive kind. The order stated that approval would be required to publish any books related to the history, culture, tradition, or geography of the state.

A 15-member committee has been set up to determine whether a work can be published or not.

According to the order, any writer desiring to publish books must first submit an application along with the manuscript of their work to the Director, University and Higher Education, who will “place the matter before the committee for its approval.” The committee would then call for a meeting if required.

Galngam Mang, on Facebook, questioned how any academician could be part of “this illogical and irrational committee”.

The committee is led by the state’s education minister and includes vice-chancellors of universities and also professors of related subjects as members.

The Government of Manipur also gave a stern warning that anybody violating the order would be “punished”.

Chitra Ahanthem, a freelance journalist, took to twitter to condemn the move, calling it “state censorship”.

The government defended the directive by stating that this process would prevent production of “material which may either distort facts or disturb the peaceful co-existence amongst the various communities in the State”.