Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 26 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday appealed to the stakeholders and student organisations to withdraw the 48 hours bandh and come forward for dialogue to find amicable solution to the Manipur University (MU) crisis.
Biren said that the government is ready to hold talks anytime. Because through dialogue issues can be resolved. “So we need people’s help and support in resolving the issues,” he said while speaking to media at CM’s secretariat in Imphal on Wednesday.
Biren made the appeal in respond to the 48 hours state wide bandh called by six students’ bodies of Manipur demanding unconditional and immediate release of all the arrested students and teachers of MU besides demanding immediate withdrawal of the security forces from University campus to bring normalcy in the university. The bandh will be in force from the midnight of September 26 till the midnight of September 28.
The students’ bodies-All Manipur Students’ Union, Manipuri Students Federation, Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur, Kangleipak Students Association, Students’ Union of Kangleipak and Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup, also denounced the police action at the boy’s hostels of the university in the intervening night of September 20 and 21.
The functioning of the university, which has around 5,000 students, resumed from August 23 after a gap of 85 days agitation demanding removal of Vice Chancellor AP Pandey on charges of irregularities following an agreement.
But the fresh unrest resurfaced in the campus after the police conducted search at boys’ hostels based on a complaint and subsequent arrest of seven students and six teachers. It also forced the university authority to postpone the ongoing semester examination of the University until further orders.
Meanwhile police foiled the attempt to burn the effigies of chief minister at the western gate of DM College campus here around 1.30pm on Wednesday. They also fired tear gas shells to control the students who were protesting against the arrest of university students and teachers and demanding restoration of normalcy in the university by removing the security forces deployed inside the campus. Some of the university girl students who are undergoing relay hunger strike in front of their hostels demanding immediate release of the arrested students and teachers were reportedly picked for medical checkup.
In the meantime three Manipur based womenfolk organisations announced to support the bandh. On the other hand the state chief secretary directed the administrative secretaries and head of departments to ensure attendance in all the offices and subordinate offices during 48 hour bandh while the state transport authority asked the public transport operators to maintain transport operations during the bandh.
48 hrs strike not effective in hill areas of Mnp. — TSA
An organisation declared that the 48 hours general strike called by the valley-based students’ organisation from the midnight of September 26 will not be effective in the hill areas of Manipur.
The Thadou Students’ Association (TSA)-GHQ issued a press release on Wed. Sep. 26 through its secretary, information & publicity Kamsanglen Singsit, stating that the 48 hours general strike called by the valley based students’ organisation from the midnight of Sep. 26 will not be effective in the hill areas of Manipur and asserted that the impending agitation is the handiwork of valley-based students’ organisation who are now in the defensive, desperately fighting for rear-guard action that is bound to end in a fiasco.
The association also stated that the tribal communities are not a part of this agitation and neither will they endorse it.
It also stated that right from the onset of the agitation that was launched, myriads of tribal frontal organisations had made it explicitly clear through its many press communique’s that the rule of law should be given precedence over all else, and that justice and fair trial should be given to all and sundry; but the sequence of events has evinced that vested of rapacious individuals has taken priority over the interest of the students community.
Maintaining that the agitators could have put to rest their agitation after the suspension of Prof AP Pandey, the lynchpin against whom the agitation was launched, on Sep. 17, the agitators chose to protract it without any iota of care and compassion for the career of thousands of students who are at the receiving end of this heedless agitation.
This indicates that the crux of the agitation was launched for the sake of the ‘loaves and fishes’ that the university could provide, and nothing else. This can be substantiated by the fact that a ‘confidential agreement’ was signed between the agitators in August where all the top-posts and slots in the University were distributed amongst the agitators.
It should be kept in mind that Manipur University is a central university and any Indian citizen are eligible for any post if he/she fits the description. The association alleged that the Meitei’s mentality, that they should be the only one, who should occupy all the sinecure posts, is the real reason behind all these charades that is being witnessed now.
The association further alleged that the valley people should not be under the impression that Manipur University is their father’s property as it located in the valley but should understand that it belongs to the nation.
If the agitators are not satisfied with the adjudication of the HRD ministry they should demand for the reconversion of Manipur University to a state university, and run it within their whim and fancies.
In a nutshell, the panacea to these entire problems is, the central government should shift the university to the hill areas of Manipur to avert such shameless agitation, henceforth, added the press release.
