Our Correspondent
Imphal, July 11 (EMN): The students, teachers and staffs of Manipur University continued their agitation demanding removal of Vice Chancellor Prof Adya Prasad Pandey over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities by launching a relay hunger strike since July 9 at the gate of its Canchipur campus near Imphal.
The Manipur University Students Union (MUSU) spearheaded the shutdown movement since May 30 which entered the 43rd day on Wednesday.
Manipur University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) which initially demands constitution of a high-level enquiry commission immediately to look into the allegations against Prof Pandey along with Manipur University Staffs Association (MUSA) and locals supported the ongoing agitation in the “academic interest” of the University.
President M Dayaman of MUSU said the relay hunger strike will continue until and unless our demands are fulfilled. Echoing a similar sentiment, a member of MUTA also sought cooperation in resolving the crisis soon. “The time has come for the concerned authorities to think on the importance of an individual and academic future of Manipur University,” he felt.
Meanwhile according to a third unsigned statement of PRO office, Manipur University issued here on Tuesday, the VC appeals to the agitating student and teachers “to come forward for an open dialogue.”
But it failed to convince the agitating bodies. In a press note MUSU, MUTA and MUSA on Wednesday said, “The university community stand firm on their demand for the removal of Prof Pandey from the VCship in democratic interest of the institute in particular and Manipur in general.”
Earlier the agitating groups have reminded their demands separately to concerned authorities both at the state and centre. But there is no sign of resolving the unrest.
The situation of the University affects the academic atmosphere of 4000 university students and other students in 97 affiliated colleges in the state. Not only deferring the Post Graduate examination of the varsity until further notice, the University authority also failed to declare the 6th semester examination results of nearly 15,000 graduate students.
