Renewed pro-ILPS movement : 24 students hurt in police action, Tidim bandh comes into force
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 28 2016 : At least 24 students were hurt in police crack down against a large group of students who were taking out a protest rally demanding conversion of the three Bills passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 last year into Acts and release of the two students arrested by police in the course of a similar agitation earlier.

Meanwhile, the Kwakeithel Bazar Board Committee has called an indefinite bandh on Tidim Road with immediate effect in denunciation of alleged indiscriminate firing of tear gas shells and mock bombs by police today.

Sporadic confrontation between bandh supporters/ pro-ILPS protesters and police continued till late evening at Kwakeithel area.

They maintained that the police personnel involved in firing tear gas shells and mock bombs indiscriminately should tender apology to the public and they must be suspended.

ILP : TG higher Secondary school students staged protest on 27 May 2016 :: Pix - Shanker Khangembam

Soon after the protest rally, Tidim Road was blocked on the ground that police turned their ire upon women vendors of Kwakeithel market.

Students of Johnstone Hr Sec School, CC Hr Sec School, Zenith Academy, HRD Academy and Xtra Edge School took out a protest rally from near Imphal airport shouting many slogans on the way.

As they approached Kwakeithel Bazar, police resorted to firing tear gas shells and mock bombs in their attempt to drive back and disperse the agitating students.

In the ensuing ruckus, many students collapsed and they were taken to nearby houses for immediate medical attention.

On learning about the injuries sustained by students, people of Kwakeithel area gathered together by clanging electric poles.

This drove the police personnel deployed there into frenzy and they fired more tear has shells and mock bombs.

Decrying that the second round of mock bombs and tear gas shells were fired towards them, women vendors of Kwakeithel market came out and blocked Tidim Road and the blockade continued till late evening.

Bandh supporters also bural tyres on the middle of the road.

Out of the 24 students injured in the first confrontation, 21 were taken to RIMS and three to JNIMS.

It is reported that none of the students suffered serious injuries.

Earlier in the morning, around 20 students of CC Hr Sec School shouted many slogans in front of Imphal police station demanding conversion of the three Bills into Acts.

The students marched up to Imphal police station through Secretariat from Moirangkhom.

And police drove them back through the same route.

The students who took part in the protest demonstration said that police personnel were stationed inside CC Hr Sec School campus since yesterday.

They demanded that no police personnel should be stationed within the school campus from Monday and the Government should not declare holiday for any educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the JCILPS Students Wing convenor Oinam Nandababu has condemned the alleged excesses committed by police upon students.

It is a matter of grave concern that police turned their ire to women vendors of Kwakeithel market apart from unleashing force upon students.

The Government and its police force must understand thal such arresting students and thwarting off protest demonstrations using brute force can never suppress the ongoing mass movement.

He also condemned the acts of locking schools and deploying police personnel inside educational institutions.

Nandababu maintained that they would carry on the popular movement until the people's collective aspiration is fulfilled and all the arrested students are released.

On the other hand, students of Enlighten Knowledge School, Poumai Colony also took out a protest rally.

As the police personnel of Imphal East and Imphal West stopped the students at Chingmeirong Khongnang Ani Karak they formed human chain and raised slogans at Chingmeirong traffic junction.

They shouted slogans like 'we condemn arrest of students' 'we want ILP', 'we demand ILP', 'convert the three Bill: passed by State Assembly into Acts', 'do not allow non locals to cast vote and contest elections' .

After staging demonstration for some time there, the stu dents returned to their school.

Police escorted them up to their school campus.