Congress questions security-escorted rally
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 06 2018: Congress party has questioned the motive of the rally held today in defiance of the restrictions imposed under CrPC Section 144 and against the joint agitation of MUSU, MUTA and MUSA.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here this evening, many Congress leaders asked who were behind today's rally which was allegedly guarded by security personnel.

MPCC president TN Haokip pointed out that a silent rally planned around MU by prominent political figures on August 3 was disallowed by invoking Section 144 of CrPC but a rally was taken out today even though Section 144 CrPC is still in force.

TN Haokip decried that the Government has been applying a separate law for BJP and its alliances and a totally different one for other political parties.

Rather than working to resolve the MU impasse, the Government has been targeting the MU community, he denounced.

Former MU VC Dr Ng Bijoy said that a silent rally planned by well wishers of MU on August 3 which would be participated by veteran politician O Joy and himself was disallowed by the Government by imposing CrPC Section 144 in the surrounding areas of MU.

But a rally was taken out today at the behest of BJP by defying the prohibitions imposed under Section 144 CrPC.

This was something which the Government should not have done under any circumstances.

Any law should be applied to all sections of society, Dr Bijoy said.

Had Chief Minister N Biren taken up the MU issue with the Central Government and a judicial enquiry committee was constituted at the initial stage of the crisis, the crisis could have been resolved much earlier.

The crisis only grew worse on account of the State Government's failure to take up necessary action in time, he said.

Saying that Prof Pandey is a very influential man and the Government of India is determined to protect him, Dr Bijoy said that Prof Pandey should be at Imphal during the period of enquiry.

But Pandey has gone to Delhi on leave for 30 days.

It means the enquiry committee must go to Delhi to take his statements.

Given the power and influence wielded by Prof Pandey, no enquiry committee other than a judicial enquiry committee would be able to carry out an independent enquiry against Prof Pandey, Dr Bijoy said.

While asserting that university students are pillars of the State, Dr Bijoy questioned the State Government's failure to take their grievances into account.

Instead of working to resolve the crisis, the State Government has been deliberately working to aggravate the crisis by targeting the MU community, said the former VC.

MPCC spokesman RK Anand said that Congress party worked to resolve the MU crisis by setting up a fact finding committee.

The committee recommended the President of India and other relevant authorities to resolve the crisis through negotiation with the MU community, if possible or dismiss Prof Pandey.

The rally held today with security escorts was a secret game-plan of the State Government, he alleged.

The rally was a direct attempt to derail and discredit the sustained agitation of.

MU community.

It reeks of BJP's parochial politics and it testified the determination of both the Central Government and the State Government to protect Prof Pandey, RK Anand added.

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