Manipur University: Students Union Seeks Removal of Police from Campus

New Delhi: The Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) has asked the state government to pull out all the security personnel currently deployed inside Manipur University’s (MU) campus at the earliest.

“It is time for all stakeholders to ponder on the initiation of admission process for new session while many exams are yet to be completed,” said a press release issued by MUSU president M. Dayaman.

Citing that Prof. K. Yugindro and Prof. M. Shyamkesho have started issuing certificates, MUSU questioned whether these certificates signed by them would be valid or not.

The union alleged that Prof. Yugindro and Prof. Shyamkesho were running the university at their “whims and fancies” without paying any heed to the hunger strike by women students of the university. Many of the students who are on hunger strike have been hospitalised as they have grown extremely weak,  it added.

Even as the students have been staging a hunger strike for the past several days after the  police crackdown at MU on the intervening night of September 20 and 21, police personnel can still being seen searching the campus for MU students and other students to put them behind bars, the union said.

It also denounced the arrest and imprisonment of many students and teachers.

It appears that Prof. Yugindro and Prof. Shyamkesho do not know whether their appointments are legal or not, MUSU said, adding that the former  was appointed as the Pro-VC by the VC A.P. Pandey in total contravention of all relevant rules, while he was on leave following a probe into alleged financial irregularities.

MUSU further alleged that the brutal police crackdown inside MU campus on the midnight of September 20 which went on till the next morning was carried out by the state government in collusion with the Ministry of Human Resource Development “just to protect A.P. Pandey”.

Hunger Strike Enters Seventh day

Meanwhile, the hunger strike staged by female hostellers demanding unconditional release of the arrested teachers and students entered the seventh day on Monday..

At  least 20 hostellers were hospitalised over the last six days as their health condition deteriorated. After receiving treatment, they resumed the protest being staged at the gates of their respective hostels, the union said.

It has also been reported that protesters were unwilling to board government ambulances as they had photos of the chief minister. Eventually, they were taken in  Red Cross Society ambulances.

“It is very clear that the state government does not care about the career of the students. But we will never retreat our agitation unless the arrested teachers and students are released,” said a student.

Government’s Contradictory Statements

“Last Friday, education minister, Th. Radheshyam visited us and gave a verbal assurance that they will be released soon after having a dialogue. On the other side, chief minister, N. Biren Singh  has announced that the government is yet to arrest some students and teachers”, said the student.

“When we told the education minister that his assurance was contradictory to the statement made by the chief minister, he replied that he did not have any knowledge about the statement of the chief minister,” said the hosteller, questioning “How come there is communication gap among the ministers? ”

So far, the police have arrested six teachers, 19 students and one People’s Resurgence Justice Alliance members in connection with the university crisis, while phone connections remain under surveillance and many students are still in hiding.

No relief till unconditional release

It is further reported that, tonight there will be a rally in Imphal in collaboration with various women’s organisations to demand the unconditional release of those arrested and to highlight the callous attitude of the Biren Singh-led BJP government towards women protestors and students in general. Further, students and teachers will keep declining any invitation from the Chief Minister’s side unless all the FIRs are dropped. A student who has been on hunger strike said, “More agitations and strikes are underway by various students organisations and it is going to get worse.”