Cdos make abortive bid to break lock, MUTA condemns
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 20 2018: Amidst the vehement demand of Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) to replace Vice Chancellor Prof AP Pandey and the resultant crisis besieging the university, a team of police commandos came to the university yesterday afternoon and made an abortive attempt to break the padlock used in locking the university's administrative block.

Notably, the administrative block is currently kept locked.

Even as the commandos surrounded the administrative block and tried to break the padlock, students and teachers resisted their attempt.

In the meantime, information was passed to the Government's top officials including the Governor about the commandos' attempt to break the padlock.

At the instruction of the higher authority, the commandos left the padlock unharmed and went away.

Meanwhile, the Manipur University Teachers' Association (MUTA) has condemned the alleged show of strength staged by a huge convoy of armed Manipur Police personnel yesterday afternoon.

As the matter demanded immediate attention, MUTA held a meeting and deliberated on the sudden development, conveyed a press release issued by MUTA general secretary Prof Lisam Shanjukumar Singh.

Manipur University community witnessed a very unprecedented and undesirable incident with potentially dangerous consequences in the afternoon of June 19 .

A huge convoy of armed Manipur Police personnel staged a show of strength inside the university's campus specially in front of the administrative block, it conveyed.

According to MUTA, officials concerned of the university had no information whatsoever of the show of strength.

Such intrusion into the sanctity of the academic institution by fully armed security personnel when it is embroiled in a serious crisis is absolutely undesirable.

Condemning the intrusion and show of strength as it could lead to untoward consequences, MUTA urged the security forces not to repeat such acts of intrusion m future.

On the other hand, Vice Chancellor Prof AP Pandey wrote to the Chief Minister yesterday seeking police guards in addition to the CRPF personnel currently guarding him, informed a source.

However, the State Government has not yet given consent to the VC's petition for additional security guards.

A team of MUSU met Governor Dr Najma Heptulla and Chief Minister N Biren on June 18 and made it clear that they would not call off their agitation until and unless Prof AP Pandey is removed from the post Manipur University Vice Chancellor.

Alleging that the VC has been running the university at his own whim and fancy, MUSU locked the administrative block as well as the VC's office since May 30.Since then, all the normal activities of the university have been halted.

Demanding removal of Prof AP Pandey within five days, a larger number of students staged a candle-light protest at the university yesterday evening.

MUTA executive committee held a meeting at 1 pm yesterday.

The meeting after deliberating on the existing crisis adopted a resolution to urge Prof AP Pandey to step down from the post of VC.

In me meantime, a fact finding committee set up by Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee has started investigation into the crisis so as to ascertain its genesis and help resolve the crisis.

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