Free arrested teachers, students: UCM
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 26 2018: Demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested teachers and students of Manipur University, United Committee Manipur (UCM) president Sunil Karam has said that UCM will fully support the 48 hours bandh called by AMSU, MSF, DESAM, KSA, SUK and AIMS from today midnight.

He made the statement during the launch of Langban Thagi Heitha-Leithaba at Kekrupat which was organised under the aegis of UCM today.

Many people paid floral tributes in memory of the 18 brave souls who sacrificed their lives for Manipur, as a part of the event today.

Speaking to media persons, Sunil Karam urged the people to remain alert and safeguard the integrity of Manipur in light of the Framework Agreement signed between the Central Government and the NSCN (IM).

On the other hand, he said that the current situation surrounding Manipur University is not a sign of development and strongly condemned the midnight raid by police inside Manipur University campus on September 20 and the subsequent arrest of numerous teachers and students, just after the university was starting to recover from the effect of the total shutdown which lasted 85 days.

Demanding the State Government to pull out all the security forces stationed inside the university campus and to release the arrested individuals unconditionally, the UCM president urged the Government to refrain from try ing to arrest teachers and students of the university.

The State Government claims that it is trying to bring normalcy to the university but chasing students and teachers like criminals will not bring normalcy to the university, he added.

Pointing out that UCM also supports the 48 hours bandh called by various student organisations, Sunil Karam appealed to the people to support the bandh as well.

He condemned the Chief Minister's justification of the raid as an attempt to hunt down criminals inside the campus and termed it as tragic and shocking, before asking who was the one responsible for the raid and destroying the normalcy which had slowly but surely returned to the university in the first place.

Alleging that the current issue is a result of the MHRD's attempt to cause chaos inside the university, Sunil demanded both the Central and the State Government to take up necessary steps to bring back normal academic atmosphere in the university at the earliest.

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