Manipur Governor Syed Ahmed has passed away in Mumbai at the age of 73 due to cancer. He was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra. He was sworn in as the Governor of Manipur on May 16, 2015. Ahmed, a former Congress leader from Maharashtra, was shifted to the north-eastern State from Jharkhand, where he was appointed Governor on August 26, 2011 when the UPA Government was in power at the Centre.

Ahmed had a flair for writing, especially in Urdu. Ahmed held two master’s degrees (in Hindi and English) and a doctorate in Urdu. He has written an autobiography ‘Pagdandi se Shahar Tak’. His other literary works included ‘Maktal se Manzil’, ‘Kafas se Chaman’ and ‘Jange-Azaadi Me Urdu Shayari’.

Ahmed joined the Congress party in 1977. He was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly five times from the Nagpada constituency in Mumbai.

Manipur

• Imphal is the Capital of Manipur.
• Manipur is credited with introducing Polo to Europeans.
• It is known as “Switzerland of India”. The climate is pleasant and is a major tourist destination in India.
• The Barak River is the largest river in Manipur.
• On 21 September 1949, Manipur’s King Maharaja Budhachandra signed a Treaty of Accession merging the kingdom into India.
• Meithei is the official language in government offices.
• Okram Ibobi Singh is the present Chief Minister of the state.