ILPS movement turns violent, 30 students hurt, 50 others detained
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 24 2014: The agitation being spearheaded by the Students Wing of Joint Com-mittee on Inner Line Permit System, intensified with more than 30 students suffering injuries in different clashes between students and police at different areas today.

It is said that more than 50 students have been pulled up.

At around 11.45 am, in their bid to storm the State Legislative Assembly, which is currently holding budget session, a large number of DM College students tried to move out of their college campus in the form of protest rallies through both western and eastern gates simultaneously.

Although, the police foiled students' repeated attempts to move out of their campus through the eastern gate, the students who exited from the western gate managed to march up to THAU Ground.

Agitating students and police

However, they were earlier blocked by police inside the college campus near Khunthokhanbi temple which was ensued by tense confrontation there.

However, the agitating students managed to push back the police team up to the western gate of the college.

Later, police fired several rounds of tear gas shells, which was retaliated by the students with stone pelting.

The stand-off continued for around one hour and a half after which the students blockaded roads inside college campus using tree bran- ches and boulders to hinder entry of police.

After some time, the students rained stones on the police team, deployed at the western gate, compelling them to move back around 100 metres towards THAU ground.

By then, the agitation took a violent turn with the students breaking wind shield of a passenger bus (MN01-1543) coming towards Kho- yathong from Lilashing Khongnangkhong.

However, the bus with many passengers on board sped away towards Kho-yangthong.

With the students blockading Thangmeiband road by not only scattering tree branches, boulders and advertisement hoardings etc but also burning tyres, the police had to divert traffic to other routes.

Different facets of the police-students confrontation seen on Thursday at Imphal in the course of protest agitation for implementation of Inner Line Permit System

Some locals were also seen joining the agitation of the students.

Later, the agitators marched towards Manipur Legislative Assembly complex up to THAU Ground where they were blocked again by police.

Police chased the agitators firing several rounds of tear gas shells.

Even as the agitators ran for safety towards different lanes of Thangmeiband, two boy students were arrested from a house while a girl student was hospitalised with twisted ankle by the police.

However, the face-off between police and students continued till 2.30 pm.

Police later picked up some more students from NCC campus.

The agitation was brought under control only after additional security forces arrived at the scene at around 3 pm.

Windshield of a Rakshak police vehicle was broken by agitating students during the 3-hour long confrontation.

On the other hand, similar attempts were also made by students at the eastern gate of the college.

Pelting of stones by students and firing tear gas shells and mock bombs by police continued till 3 pm.

However, the students could not move out of the college campus with a strong police team blocking them at the eastern gate.

In Bishnupur district, around 3000 students of Brighter English Academy, Comprehensive English School, Oinam College, Oinam Boys High School and Oinam Public School blockaded Tiddim Road for around one hour at Oinam.

Students of Standard Robarth Higher Secondary School, Sika School, and Little Rose Higher Secondary School blockaded NH-2 near Standard Robarth Higher Secondary School for around 20 minutes.

Lilong Higher Secondary School students also blocked the highway at the gate.

On the other hand, some students of TG Higher Secondary School and Ananda Singh Higher Academy were injured as police foiled their attempts to take out rallies from their respective school campus.

Moreover, students of St Peter School and Pitambara School staged protest at the gate of Naoriya Pakhanglakpa AC MLA RK Anand's residence at Kwakeithel.

Although, most of the injured students were discharged after giving first aid, nine students are still undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Five students of DM College and MB College are being treated at Raj Medicity, two students DM College at RIMS Hospital and two students of Ananda Singh Higher Academy at JNIMS Hospital.

Students Wing Convenor Angamba said that implementation of ILPS is the wish of every citizen of the State.

He said that elected leaders who do not care about the aspiration of the general public must step down from their respective positions.