MUSU rebuffs CM's justification
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 05 2019:
Reacting strongly against Chief Minister N Biren's justification of the police crackdown on Manipur University (MU) last year while addressing a BJP election rally at Nambol Bazar yesterday, Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) has condemned the Chief Minister's statement saying his statement seems to be an attempt to vitiate the tranquil atmosphere prevailing in the varsity.
Notably, Biren while addressing a BJP election rally held yesterday at Nambol Bazar said "Where should police carry out search operations if not at those places where rogues (Lam Henba) are present" .
The Manipur University Teachers' Association (MUTA) has also condemned the Chief Minister's justification/statement in the strongest term.
A press release issued by MUTA president Prof I Tomba said that it would have been better if the Chief Minister gave a detailed account of the MU crisis and who were responsible for it.
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Addressing a press meet held today at MU this evening, MUSU president Keisham Lebanan said that peace and tranquillity had been restored in the varsity since the past few months after the protracted MU crisis was resolved.
He continued that the statement or the justification made by the Chief Minister provoked minds of students who are now focused on their studies.
Stating that the CM's statement was baseless and shocking, Lebanan claimed that the MU crisis erupted due to the appointment of AP Pandey as the VC allegedly by BJP and RSS.
He recounted that students of MU were demanding removal of AP Pandey as VC and initially, they never asked for any enquiry on the then VC (Pandey) .
However, as it was said that no person can be awarded any kind of punishment without trial or establishments of his/her wrongdoings, students of Manipur University finally accepted a proposal to initiate enquiry on AP Pandey.
Nevertheless, all the agitations carried out by MU students during the crisis were peaceful and democratic, the MUSU president maintained.
He alleged alleging that the crackdown in MU in the intervening night of September 20 and 21 which was allegedly supervised by eight SPs was intentionally carried out only to tarnish the image of the students as well as to blame the students.
He went on to point out that Biren had even claimed in the past that the midnight crackdown on MU was carried out on the basis of the FIR lodged by a teacher of MU.
The FIR was later withdrawn with the teacher who lodged the same FIR admitting that it was not reasonable which led to the release of arrested teachers and students.
It appears that N Biren is a Chief Minister of only BJP, not for the whole State.
He is particularly interested to save AP Pandey as Pandey was appointed as MU VC by BJP, he added.