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Leaders of the committee of opposition parties speaking to reporters in Imphal on Sunday.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 23 (EMN): Leaders of the Committee of Political Parties, a platform of the opposition parties in Manipur, appealed to the government to release of arrested students, teachers of the Manipur University unconditionally and bring a lasting solution in the university.
The committee leaders speaking to reporters here at Congress Bhavan on Sunday, appealed revocation of teachers’ suspension order besides bringing an amicable solution to the ongoing university crisis.
Informing that proposed public convention has been rescheduled on Sep. 29, the convenor of the committee, RK Anand said the students and teachers should be released to restore normalcy in the university.
Echoing a similar feeling, the Congress leader and former vice chancellor of Manipur University, Dr. Ng Bijoy Singh and CPI leader Dr. M Nara also expressed serious concern over the ongoing unrest in the university campus because of the presence of the armed and unarmed security personnel in and around the campus.
Dr. Bijoy also said that all the orders issued by Prof. Pandey when he was on leave should be null and void.
Meanwhile, university students said they are experiencing an apprehensive atmosphere due to the presence of security personnel in the campus at Canchipur near
Imphal in the wake of Sep. 21 incident, wherein police conducted search at boy’s hostel inside the university campus and detained more than 80 students.
Manipur University was in the news since first week of June following agitation by the students and teachers of the university, demanding removal vice chancellor
Prof. Adya Prasad Pandey on charges of irregularities. However, the university resumes its normal functioning from Aug. 23 after the signing of the memorandum of agreement between university community consisting of students, teachers and staffs bodies, Ministry of HRD official and state government official in presence of the state Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Aug. 16.
On Sep. 21, the conflict started again in the university campus after law enforcing agencies conducted a search at the boy’s hostels of the university in the wee hours, following the complaint made by the vice chancellor Prof. K Yugindro.
Meanwhile senior Prof. W Vishwanath of the university who was even named as VC in-charge, also appealed for the release of the arrested students and teachers considering their academic careers.
Ethno Heritage Council, a civil society organisation, has demanded immediate release of all the arrested students and teachers, asserting that detention of students and teachers cannot bring any solution to the university crisis.
Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights has appealed the state authorities to immediately remove security forces from the campus in the interest of the students.
The Thadou Students’ Association, General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) has vehemently condemned the ‘mob violence’ meted out to the pro vice-chancellor by a group of agitators at Manipur University on Sep. 20.
“The mob allegedly threatened the Pro VC and Registrar (i/c) with the same fate meted out to Prof. Islamuddin, who was murdered inside the university in May, 2009. This alarming situation requires law enforcement agencies to step in and take effective measures,” a statement from the association Information and Publicity secretary stated.
The association said the mob made the Pro-VC and registrar (i/c) signed an apology letter under duress stating “apologies for my unpardonable act and solemnly affirmed not to repeat such act of misconduct and violation of the sanctity of the university in the future” on Sep. 20 at university campus.
It also condemned the public campaign taken up by the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) and its constituent bodies. TSA lamented that the university, which should be free from politics, has ‘unfortunately’ been seized as a political ground by the MPCC to strike back at its opponent.
“It is not that such a crisis has not happened during the Congress regime in Manipur. It was during the Congress rule in 2016 the mass exodus of tribal students from MU happened due to systematic discrimination of tribal students in the university. The politics is still on. The blatant politicization of the unfortunate situation in
MU at the cost of the students is very unfortunate. It is high time political parties stop interfering in the functioning and administration of the university,” the press release stated.
The association said if the intention of Manipur University Students’ Union was to remove AP Pandey as the vice-chancellor as they always claimed, the union would have shunned agitation and confrontation against the Pro-VC and VC (i/c) Prof. K Yugindro Singh and registrar (i/c) Shyamkisho consequent upon the suspension of Prof. AP Pandey by the President of India through MHRD pending the investigation by the Two Men Independent Enquiry Committee.
The TSA questioned the students’ union ‘if the whole agenda of their agitation was to appoint a particular person to the post of the VC of the university.’
Being a student association, it would be prudent on the part of MUSU to focus on education rather than being too involved in the appointment of the VC, it added.
Meanwhile, the association has appeal to all concerned civil societies to refrain from any activity that could vitiate the functioning of the university and be cautious about supporting mob agitations that could lead to mob violence.
Stating that one can never justify mob justice, and in a country with a working legal system, people cannot be allowed to take law into their own hands, the TSA asserted that mob justice for removal of VC or anyone else is not acceptable and should not be encouraged or supported under any circumstances.
The Thadou students further appealed the agitating students (MUSU) and staff of the university to stop trying to control the whole affairs of the university and allow law and order to prevail in the university.
