Imphal, May 15: Students and staff of Manipur University staged a protest sitting today at its campus in protest against the assault on Thokchom Ranjit alias Angomcha by a team of IRB personnel attached to Imphal East commandos.

Thokchom Ranjit of Kongpal Kongkham Leikai is a student of Chemistry Department, Manipur University.

He was shot by the IRB team at Ucheckon Lairenpat causing grievous injury to the student yesterday.

Hit by a bullet at the right thigh, Ranjit alias Angomcha is currently undergoing treatment at Shija Hospitals and Research Institute.

In Manipur University campus, the protesters put up placards and festoons which read as "We want justice", "Don't violate rights of students", "Initiate punitive actions against the security personnel involved", "We condemn violence on students" etc.

The protest sitting was also attended Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University Ch Amuba.

Because of the protest sitting, there were no classes in all the Departments of the University today.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Manipur University Staff Association informed that it held an emergency executive committee meeting today and strongly condemned the act of firing at Ranjit by Imphal East commandos at about 5.10 pm yesterday.

Taking strong exception to the assault, the Lainingthou Yangoiningthou Meira Paibi Nupi Lup and the Kongpal Laihiden Lamjing Women Welfare Association have strongly condemned the incident.

The two bodies have also demanded fitting punishment to the IRB personnel involved shooting the student.

Briefing media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, representatives of the Meira Paibi organisations asserted that since 40 years back, security forces have been persistently committing all kinds of excesses like killings, detention, harassment etc even though security forces are meant to protect citizens of the State.

bserving that the Government has been keeping a conspicuous silence at all these cases of human rights violation by security forces, the Meira Paibis appealed to the Government to provide them guns for self-defence against alleged atrocities of security forces.

Besides being an innocent student, Ranjit is preparing for further tests after coming out successful in the recently held written test for recruitment of Sub-Inspectors, they said.

Demanding immediate termination of the IRB personnel involved in shooting Ranjit, the Meira Paibis cautioned that intense agitation of all sorts will be launched together with the people in case the Government tries to hush up the matter.

In connection with the assault, a public meeting will be held tomorrow to decide the future course of action, they informed.

Maintaining that the IRB team shot Ranjit even as Ranjit showed his identity card, the Manipur Students' Federation (MSF) has also condemned the incident in the strongest term.

Observing that such reckless security personnel should be dismissed and provided torch-lights instead of guns, MSF further asserted that it would be in the best interest of all to punish the guilty IRB personnel immediately rather than providing protection and encouragement.