Musu calls for a 48-hour statewide strike in Manipur

Our Correspondent
Imphal, July 17 (EMN): Manipur University Students Union (MUSU) has called a 48-hour statewide general strike in Manipur from July 17 midnight till July 19 midnight.
The strike was called as part of intensifying its democratic movement demanding removal of the Vice Chancellor of Manipur University Prof Adya Prasad Pandey from his position on alleged financial and administrative irregularities in the university.
President M Dayaman of MUSU made the announcement on Monday stating that calling a general strike will affect the daily life but he said but we have no option as the authorities concerned are ignoring the demands, but to launch such movement.
MUSU had been continuing various forms of democratic protest by launching a total shutdown of the university since May 30 with the only demand to remove Prof Pandey from his post “for building Manipur University an ideal university.”
MUSU leader also appealed to the likeminded students’ bodies of the state and other civil society organisations to support the movement.
However the essential services including the religious programmes will be exempted from the purview of the strike, he added.
Meanwhile Democratic students’ alliance of Manipur (Desam) volunteers continued to stage protest in Imphal by burning the effigies of Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, Chief Minister N Biren and Vice Chancellor Prof Pandey in front of the western gate of the historic Kangla fort in Imphal on Tuesday.
Police arrived at the scene and stopped the protest but the volunteers of Desam which has been demanding immediate end of Manipur crisis and immediate declaration of semester examination of the college students, also tried to storm the Chief Minister’s bungalow this afternoon but police who arrived at the scene prevented them.
Later state police authority deployed armed and unarmed security personnel in and around the Raj Bhavan, chief minister’s bunglow and state BJP head office all located within a radius of one kilometre in Imphal to avoid any untowards incidents.
Meanwhile students of Ibotonsana girls higher secondary school staged a protest by making human chain in front of their school along Uripok-Kangchup road and demand action against those police personnel involved in Monday’s lathi charge wherein Desam general secretary Oinam shital sustained serious injury and hospitalised.
On the other hand President Ng Milan of Manipuri Students Federation on behalf of the important students bodies in the state including All Manipur Students Union, Kangleipak Students Association, Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup, Students Union of Kangleipak announced to support the 48 hour general strike during a press conference in Imphal on Tuesday.
Many local bodies including the bodies of Meira Paibi, torch bearing women and Singjamei to Lilong United Club’s Organisation also announced to support the general strike.