Mairembam Koireng Singh
Mairembam Koireng Singh | |
|---|---|
| 1st Chief Minister of Manipur | |
| In office 1 July 1963 – 11 January 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Position Created |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| In office 20 March 1967 – 4 October 1967 | |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Longjam Thambou Singh |
| In office 16 February 1968 – 16 October 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Longjam Thambou Singh |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Alimuddin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mairembam Koireng Singh 19 December 1915 Moirang, Manipur, India |
| Died | 27 December 1994 (aged 79) |
| Spouse | (L) Kiyam Ningol Mairembam Ongbi Ibemhal Devi |
Mairembam Koireng Singh (1915–1994), also known as Moirang Koireng, was an Indian politician and activist. Affiliated to the Indian National Congress, Mairembam Koireng Singh became the first Chief Minister of Manipur and governed the state for three terms between 1963 and 1969.
Born on 19 December 1915 in Moirang, Manipur, Singh was an outspoken critic of the social inequalities endorsed by the Manipur monarchy, particularly opposing a tax imposed on the underprivileged for wearing the "Chandan Tilak" on their foreheads.
Singh played a pivotal role in the Satyagraha campaign concerning the Lord Thangjing Temple issue, successfully advocating for the transfer of control over religious activities to the public in 1952. He was also influential in the establishment of several educational institutions. Singh's political career began in 1938 with the founding of the Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha, in response to Mahatma Gandhi's call for revolution.
In 1944, following a call from Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji), Singh joined the Indo-Japanese Progress Group and committed to supporting the broader war effort. When the British authorities labeled him an "enemy" and issued a "shoot at sight" order, he went into hiding and fled to Burma with his associates in July 1944.
Singh met with Netaji in September 1944. The following year, in September 1945, the British arrested and imprisoned him for eight months. Upon his release under a royal pardon in April 1946, Singh returned to Manipur via Calcutta.