Manipur Guv urges people to reaffirm commitment to peace, harmony on New Year
Imphal (PTI): Extending New Year greetings, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla called upon people to reaffirm their commitment to peace, harmony, and mutual respect.
Bhalla urged people to work together to foster lasting peace and stability in the state.
"I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Manipur on the joyous occasion of New Year's Day, 2026. As we step into 2026, let us collectively reaffirm our commitment to peace, harmony, and mutual respect," he said in a statement on New Year's Eve.
"Let this be a year in which we strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among all communities, uphold the values of unity in diversity, and work together to foster lasting peace and stability in the State," he said.
Bhalla said he was hopeful that 2026 would usher in greater understanding, prosperity, and well-being for all.
"May the spirit of cooperation and compassion guide us towards building a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous Manipur," he said.
Manipur has been under the President's Rule since February 2025, with BJP leader N Biren Singh resigning as the chief minister amid criticism of his government's handling of the ethnic clashes that left over 260 people dead and thousands homeless.
Singh also extended New Year greetings, stating that he was confident 2026 would bring new opportunities, renewed trust, and steady progress for Manipur.
"May the coming year bring peace, good health, and prosperity to every household. Let us move forward together with renewed hope and unity," he said in a post on X.
State Congress president K Meghachandra Singh said he was hopeful that the New Year would bring peace, healing and justice to every family, restore trust and harmony among communities, and renew collective commitment to democracy, humanity and the rule of law.
"As we welcome the New Year, our thoughts are with the people of Manipur, who have endured a year of pain, uncertainty and loss. Yet, even in the darkest times, the spirit of Manipur has remained unbroken, resilient, compassionate and united in hope," he said in a post on X.
"Let this year be one of reconciliation, dignity and lasting peace, where every voice is heard, and every life is valued. Wishing all the people of Manipur a New Year filled with hope, strength and a shared future of peace," he added.
The Governor of Manipur extends warm greetings to the people of the State on the arrival of the New Year 2026, and conveys his best wishes for a year marked by peace, harmony, good health, and prosperity.#newyear2026 #LokBhavanImphal #GovernorOfManipur pic.twitter.com/G2er7hXYJp
— LOK BHAVAN, MANIPUR (@LokBhavManipur) December 31, 2025
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
