MUSU negates Chief Minister's appeal word for word-1
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 28 2018: Negating the Chief Minister's claim conveyed via the open appeal a few days back, the Manipur University Students' Union today asserted that the appeal is full of lies, deceit, is contradictory and illogical.

In a lengthy statement issued to the media today, MUSU said that it still sticks by its stand and demanded that all those wrongly appointed by AP Pandey should be removed from office immediately.

The present VC in charge Prof Yugindro and Registrar in charge Prof Shyamkesho should be immediately removed and a judicial inquiry should be instituted to probe the midnight raid at MU on September 20, it said.

Reacting to the announcement of the Chief Minister that he is under a lot stress due to the MU crisis, MUSU questioned why this is so and reminded that the BJP is in power both at New Delhi and Imphal.

Why should there be any problem as such, it asked and added that the very statement of the CM is loaded with unstated meanings.

At the start of the address, the CM asked for advice and suggestions from the people but he rounded it up by threatening shops, petrol pumps and the transporters to reject the bandh call.

What does democracy mean to the Chief Minister and the Government, asked MUSU and reminded all of the bandh called by the BJP at West Bengal.

Didn't the BJP indulge in arson at West Bengal, it asked.

There has been no case of the Central Government issuing threats when the Opposition called an all India bandh, it said and pointed out that on one hand, the CM appeals for dialogue and on the other issues threats, stating that more will be arrested.

Stating that the CM does not seem to know the difference between an 'independent inquiry' and an 'enquiry/fact finding', MUSU recalled that MUTA had urged for an independent inquiry on May 18, much before the MU crisis erupted on May 30.However the CM said that this was on May 5.Negating the statement of the CM that the demand for an inquiry committee has been fulfilled, MUSU said that the first two committees were not at all independent bodies.

Even today it has not been established how the fire at the office of the Assistant Director of Sports Department of MU started on July 7.It is not yet established whether it was a case of arson or started due to some other factors, said MUSU but the CM has accused the strikers of arson.

In fact, the fire was doused by the strikers, recalled MUSU and added that the CM was even urged to acknowledge the good work of the strikers in dousing the fire.

It seems that there was a ploy to crush the agitation on the charge of an arson, said MUSU and recalled the statement of the CM wherein he said that the act of arson at a Central university is akin to challenging the sovereignty of India.

This is a clear case of trying to protect AP Pandey, said MUSU and likened it to the propaganda machinery of Hitler during Nazism in Germany.

The CM also does not seem to understand the fine relationship between an autonomous university and the police, said MUSU taking digs at the statement of the CM who questioned whether the police should keep quiet if a murder has been committed on the ground that MU is an autonomous body.

Such line of thinking is illogical, said MUSU and explained there are times when it is proper for the police to enter the campus of a university.

There are also regulations for the police to enter a university, said MUSU and added that the CM seems to be ignorant of this fact.

The CM justified the police raid on September 20 midnight by stating that a Magistrate and women police personnel were present during the raid.

However the CM conveniently overlooked the need to inform the Warden, Dean, Proctor to enter the warden which is mandatory, said MUSU and questioned whether this was not in violation of the rule of law.

In a university hostel, the Warden is more important than the Magistrate and the Proctor more important than the DC, said MUSU.

On the assertion of the CM that the 14 point agreement is in violation of the MoA and listing it among the top three crimes in MU, MUSU Said that the 14 point agreement is a private understanding between the VC in charge and the strikers.

If the VC in charge had opposed the 14 point agreement then it could be said to have violated the MoA but this did not happen, said MUSU and dismissed the claim of the CM that the 14 point agreement is among the top three crimes in MU.

On the charge of the CM that the change of Registrar in charge is illegal, MUSU said that after Prof Vishwanath was appointed as the VC in charge the Registrar in charge Prof Shyamkesho did not attend office till September 20 .

Even some people were sent to summon him to the office, said MUSU but he went into hiding.

At that time, work was hectic at MU since 85 days had already been lost, said MUSU and added that the only option left for the VC in charge was to appoint a new Registrar in charge.

The MoA that sent AP Pandey on leave was signed between the State Government, MHRD and the .strikers on August 16, said MUSU and added that the leave was from August 1 to August 30.The phrase 'sent on leave pending a report and action taken as per the report from the 2 men inquiry committee,' underlined the leave period, said MUSU and added that it was against this that AP Pandey returned and resumed office as VC from September 1.During this period, the CM kept silent.

The assertion of AP Pandey that he has no knowledge of the MoA is a blatant disrespect to the State Government and the Central Government, said MUSU.

Why didn't the CM advise Pandey about the MoA, it asked.

On this the CM put the blame of not informing the contents of the leave to AP Pandey on the VC in charge Prof Vishwanath.

The act of omission actually lies with the Joint Secretary of MHRD or it could have been a conspiracy, added MUSU.

On September 3, the Registrar in charge issued a notification that the leave of AP Pandey has been extended with the permission of Chancellor Prof Nachane.

However AP Pandey refused to acknowledge the leave extension.

During this drama, the CM kept quiet, maybe on the ground that MU is a Central varsity and he does not have much say.

However isn't it a shame that Manipur University had two VCs, two Registrars and was it right for the CM to just ignore the issue, asked MUSU.

If the CM says that the State Government cannot do anything with regard to MU as it is a Central varsity then why was it a party to the MoA, asked MUSU.

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