Imphal, December 01 2009: In what seems to be according high respect to repeated appeals from different sections of the society to bring a solution to the present impasse after relaxing the positions of the opposing parties, the Apunba Lup too has climbed down from its demand of resignation of the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh 'to resignation or removal of Home portfolio from Ibobi'.

The change in position was intimated to the State Government during a meeting with Minister (Works) K Ranjit, Education Minister Jayantakumar, Minister of Irrigation and Flood Control N Biren and MLA Kh Loken yesterday, conveyed a press release issued by the Working Committee of the Apunba Lup.

"With our stand compromised to a certain extent, it is now up to the Government whether or not to bring a solution to the four months' old movement", the Apunba Lup conceded in a statement issued today.

The other demands put forward to the Ministerial team include transfer of the Director General of Police, suspension of Superintendent of Police (Imphal West) or transfer of the SP outside the State, suspension of Additional SP Imphal West, initiation of legal proceedings against those already suspended police personnel, expansion of the ongoing one-man Agarwal Enquiry Commission to a three-man enquiry commission and modification of the terms of reference and simultaneous commission of both the Judicial Enquiry Commission and CBI investigation.

The Apunba Lup demanded completion of the ongoing enquiry within a certain stipulated time and a written assurance in the form of a Cabinet decision to punish those persons indicted by the enquiry commission within 15 days from submission of the enquiry report.

Written assurance to stop and prevent any kind of fake encounter in future, unconditional release of all those arrested persons in connection with various movement against the July 23 Khwairamband firing incident etc are some other demands of the Apunba Lup.

In case the Government fails to respond to the compromised position, the Apunba Lup would be compelled to adopt a more hard-line stance and accordingly more intense movements would be launched together with the people, it cautioned.

Commenting on O Ibobi's assertion that right to education is more important than right to life as quoted by Tehelka magazine in an interview, the Apunba Lup remarked that what Ibobi said was quite reflective of the killing spree that had been a hallmark of his stint as the Chief Minister of Manipur.

People may easily determine the mental orientation of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi from what he spoke to the media, Legislative Assembly and fake encounters witnessed during his tenure, the statement maintained.

Since the day when the man who did not understand right to life became Chief Minister of Manipur in 2002, 4/5 innocent persons have been slain by security forces on a daily basis, the Apunba Lup alleged.

To O Ibobi right to education is more important than right to life and his post of Chief Minister is even more important than anything else, the conglomerate body pointed out.

"That is why, Ibobi is little concerned about the continuing class boycott movement which have put away students from schools for more than four months".

MLAs and Ministers have also devoted themselves to their posts which they saw as centres of multi-crore business.

The earlier round of talk held between the Government on one side and the Apunba Lup, AMSU, MSF, KSA and JACs of Rabina and Sanjit could not make any breakthrough as the State Government failed to take up single initiative to address the hurt sentiments of the people, the Apunba Lup alleged.

Apunba Lup had been at the forefront of agitations denouncing firing by police commandos that claimed the lives of two and wounded many others.

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