Most senior Prof appeals for unconditional release
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 23 2018:
Manipur University's most senior Professor W Vishwanath has appealed to the State Government to release the arrested students and colleagues without any condition.
Speaking to media persons at his Sagolband Bijoy Govinda residence this morning, Prof Vishwanath decried the way police pulled up some teachers from their respective residences and a number of students from inside MU campus in the night of September 20 and the next morning.
The violent and massive raid was unprecedented in the history of Manipur University, he remarked.
MU was set up as a State university in 1980 and it was adopted as a Central university in 2005.For the past 40 years, teachers, students and the public have been working hard to make MU a centre of learning par excellence.
Pointing out that Deans, HoDs and senior Professors are among the arrested teachers, Prof Vishwanath said that all these teachers have guided a number of students during the past 30 years and they have been contributing immensely to the growth of Manipur University by publishing research papers at the State, National and international levels.
"It is a matter of grave concern that these teachers are being detained.
I would not like to blame anyone but I feel that their arrest is a direct challenge to the profession of teaching", Prof Vishwanath said.
All the students studying and doing research works in MU are selected ones.
Around 1000 students apply in Life Science Department alone but only 80 students are selected.
It is quite disheartening that students preparing for examinations were pulled out of their hostel rooms and detained in police custody, he lamented.
"As the most senio; teacher of MU, I would like to appeal to the authorities concerned to release the arrested teachers and students without any condition and revoke the suspension order of the arrested teachers", he continued.
He further appealed to all stake holders to cooperate with each other so as to restore normalcy in MU .