Second crackdown at MU in less than a month, rally foiled, 17 students held
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 10 2018:
At least 17 students of Manipur University were arrested by Imphal West district police and handed over to Singjamei PS after a confrontation broke out between the students and police near Manipur University Administration block today afternoon.
According to information collected from the spot, a large number of students took out a protest rally from Manipuri Department of the university demanding withdrawal of the FIR lodged by Pro Vice Chancellor Professor K Yugindro against the teachers and students of the university (who are presently lodged in Sajiwa Central Jail) .
The said protest rally was organized by six student organizations namely AMSU, MSF, DESAM, KSA, SUK, AIMS and MUSU.
Police personnel who were deployed inside the university campus, prevented the rally from reaching the Administration Block after which a heated argument broke out between the police and the students lasting for around 10 minutes.
The enraged students tried to overpower the police personnel and take their rally further due to which the police were forced to use tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the agitating students from the area.
The police fired several rounds of tear gas shells and mock bombs toward the students who retaliated by pelting stones and other hard objects toward the police personnel.
During the chaos, the front windshield of a police vehicle was partly damaged by the students.
Some of the students were even chased down by the police personnel and arrested from various parts of the university campus.
Soon after the incident, the main entrance gate of the university was closed by a combined team of Imphal West, Imphal East district police, 1st MR and 7th MR personnel preventing anyone from going inside or outside the university complex.
The university's boys hostels were also cordoned off and a large number of police personnel carried out a verification drive of those who were staying inside the hostels.
The security forces also searched the hostels rooms for the agitating students in the presence of each warden of the respective hostels.
Altogether 17 students were arrested by police during the incident today and they have been identified as Gautam Oinam, Arambam Vikash, Sanasam Mumbai, Kh Lamjingba Meitei, Wahengbam Sunand, Thongam Rabichandra, Leishangthem Lamyanba, Samurailatpam Reshikumar Sharma, Taibangsatpa Laishram, Bonish Khaidem, Salam Chingkheinganba, Donald Sairem, Kabrabam Dhaneshwor, Yumnam Johnson, Ngangkham Nanao Singh, Rani Ningombam and Soibam Manjuna Chanu.
Rani Ningombam is reportedly the secretary of cultural affairs of DESAM while Soibam Manjuna Chanu is the deputy cultural secretary of the association.