Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 23 2009:
Students marched a rally at Nongmaikhong village yesterday to register a strong protest against the alleged detention of 11 year-old Salam Bidyarani by the security visited to her house to search for her parents.
The rally participated by the students of the Emanuel Grace Academy where the Bidyarani study and Vanu Devi Memorial Punam Chnig English Junior High School located at Nongmaikhong started from their respective schools.
Slogans like punish the police commandos involved in the detention of the child, stop giving fault to innocent people, resign chief minister, O Ibobi, we want education free zone, save the children, abolish police commandos from the state, free was from all sort of fear, etc.
The rally covered Nongmaikhong Makha Leikai and converged at Hiyangthang Lairembi ground where a public meeting was held with leaders of meira paibis and civil organizations and rights activists and elderly people of the area took part.
Speaking at the meeting, a Standard-X student of the school where Bidyarani study, N Bomila said the incident of August 14 which Bidyarani was detained by the security forces was a unfortunate one and demanded punishment to the security personnel who detained Bidyarani.
He also demanded resignation of the chief minister on moral ground taking responsibility of the violation of the rights of the children by the security forces unlawfully.
Headmaster of the BDM Junior High School, Rajen said, the detention of the student amount to taking no care of the children who are the pillar of future society.
It's the acts of moral-less people.
He also appealed on concerns to allow students to study in an atmosphere free of all sort of fear.
Ashangbi, the grandmother of Bidyarani recalled the incident which her grand daughter was taken away by the security forces.
When, she requested the police to take away her grand daughter for medical treatment to a hospital, they refused stating that they will not allow taking away till her father appeared before the police.
Human rights activist, W Joykumar speaking at the meeting said, any of the people uprisings in the state ended without achieving goals.
People of the state do not break law but law enforcing state agencies breaks the law.
Any persons below the age of 18 year could not be arrested by the police or security forces.
If he or she is to arrest, police specially for the juvenile should arrest, he observed in the meeting.