Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 26:
Even as students of several educational institutions responded to the call of three student bodies to surrender their text books as part of the ongoing agitation to demand total withdrawal of Armed forces Special Powers Act from Manipur and punishment of guilty 17 Assam Rifles personnel involved in the custodial killing of Thangjam Manorama Devi, students came out in large number courting arrest under the NSA today.
While students of City Montessori Higher Secondary School, Lamphel and kanan Devi Memorial School, Kombirei converged at the gate of Imphal West district Deputy Commissioner, Lamphel and later surrendered their text books at the doorstep of the DC, police detained some students for attempting to agitate near the Governor�s residence.
Student representatives of DMC of Arts and Imphal College numbering about ten, including two girls, protesting the detention of agitation leaders under NSA, courted arrest under the NSA at the Raj Bhavan gate this afternoon.
However, security personnel deployed at the Governor�s gate stopped the agitators and informed Imphal police station whose personnel arrived and arrested the students.
Traffic diversion was effected at near the Raj Bhavan gate soon after the protest attempt.
Another group of ten students of Meitei Mayek High School, Down Town Residential Academy, Suraj Rare Flower High School and Standard College breached the high security CM�s official residence at about 2.20 pm and shook the gate.
The agitators, including two girl students held banners and shouted slogans demanding total withdrawal of AFSPA and punishment of guilty AR personnel.
A team of Imphal police station led by its OC arrived at the site and arrested the protestors.
Police personnel also swung into action to prevent over 100 students of Imphal Morning High School, Porompat surrender their text books to the Imphal East district DC at around 2 pm today.
The students came out on the streets to comply with the call issued by AMSU, DESAM and MSF to demand the complete revocation of the AFSPA from the State.
As the police stuck to their stand of not allowing the students to proceed and surrender their text books to the authority concerned books to the DC the agitators shredded into bits the text books in full view of the security personnel.
Police also foiled attempts of Nambol area school students to surrender text books at the SDO�s office while a bus load of students (50) intending to volunteer arrest under NSA at the CM�s and Raj Bhavan�s gates were arrested from Thoubal Bus parking.
Students of Lamsang Khunou Girls High School, Praja Higher Secondary School, Lamsang and RCS, Lamsang congregated at near Keishampat oil to march to the Raj Bhavan in connection with the text book surrender agitation.
However, unable to breach the heavily cordoned security zone the students proposed agitation could not be carried out.
Reports of similar protest were also received from jiribam where several number of students deposited text books to the Jiribam ADC.