VC in-charge resigns - MU arson leaves a trail of destruction
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 04 2016:
Apart from destroying goods worth several lakhs, the arson which took place inside Manipur University last night destroyed many other things whose value could not be measured in monetary terms.
Meanwhile Vice-Chancellor in-charge Prof Dhaneshwar tendered a resignation letter to the MU Registrar this morning.
The Registrar forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Human Resource Development which subsequently directed the Registrar to appoint the senior most Professor as VC in-charge as per relevant rules and Acts.
The arson which took place at around 10.30 pm gutted the recreation hall, two DTP centres, one fast food hotel and a dwelling house.
Attempts by this reporter to talk about the arson with MU authority proved futile.
Sougrakpam Dineshkumar, proprietor of Mothers’ Computer which was totally destroyed by the inferno said that articles worth more than Rs 20 lakh were reduced to cinders.
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The inferno first engulfed the recreation hall before it spread to the adjoining shops, hotel and house.
Dineshkumar said that yesterday’s inferno has left him a devastated man.
Theses and dissertations of many research scholars and students of Manipur University and other universities were destroyed in the arson.
These documents were products of years’ of hard work and research and they could not be bought back with money, Dineshkumar said.
The arson has put the careers of many students in jeopardy.
All those involved in the arson should be booked and awarded befitting punishment, he added.
Meanwhile, MUSU president Chingshubam Manglemton has urged the concerned authority to release the 21 students arrested by police without any condition.
The students were staging a protest demonstration demanding commencement of MU’s academic session and compliance with UGC norms regarding seat reservation before they were arrested by police.
He said that MUSU strongly condemns the arson which targeted a portion of the university.
The Academic Council meeting held yesterday on the reservation issue scheduled another meeting on October 8.MUSU finance secretary Hemam Ricky said that the meeting which was scheduled to begin from 3 pm started at 5 pm.
As some quarters contended that signatures appended on a Court order were not complete, the gathering resolved to postpone the meeting.
The particular Court order gave autonomous status to Manipur University regarding the reservation issue.
The MU’s authority failure to resolve the reservation imbroglio for a prolonged period ought to be condemned by one and all, Ricky said.
He then urged the MU authority to resolve the reservation issue within three days and resume the university’s normal functions.
Meanwhile, some unidentified persons vandalised the offices of the HoD, Anthropology Department and Prof Ch Priyoranjan of Economics Department.