Second police raid at MU : Growing deep divide
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 11 2018 -

Another police raid at MU. Not midnight raid but this is yet another strong indication that the MU impasse is not anywhere near a solution.

How can things be allowed to drag on for so long, with just no solution in sight ?

This is a question which all concerned should ask themselves.

AP Pandey is today just another ex-VC, but the seeds of the discord sown during his tenure at the varsity continue to rock MU and situation has come to such a pass today that it would be wrong to view the case as merely a stand off at a university, MU in this case.

The MU issue has today become an issue of Manipur and looking at it otherwise would be off the track.

Why the Union HRD Ministry prefer to look at the issue differently is what is puzzling and what is strongly unacceptable.

Will the Union HRD Ministry look the other way round, if the varsity in question had been, say Delhi University or Panjab University ?

The whip would have been cracked a long time back and today from a crisis that besieged a university it has morphed into a law and order situation.

The two raids at the varsity should underline this point.

So from a stand off between the university community and AP Pandey today it has become a stand off between Pro VC K Yugindro and the university community and if things are not set right soon, it has all the potential to pitch one group of people against another group.

Or more specifically between social organisations standing at opposite ends of the MU crisis.

So even as MUTA, MUSU and MUSA have made their stand known against the Pro VC, various tribal organisations, including UNC, Zomi Council, Hmar Inpui, Mizo Peoples’ Convention and the Thadou Inpi have jumped into the fray and urged President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene.

Apart from urging the President to intervene, the tribal bodies have also raised the demand for a Central Hill Tribal University.

The move of the said civil society organisations comes close on the heels of ATSUM, ANSAM and KSO Ghqs extracting assurance from the State Government over some demands to withdraw the five days economic blockade proposed to be imposed over the MU issue.

This is what is scary. More than enough indication that AP Pandey has been able to drive deep wedges amongst the student community and the proposed (called off) economic blockade, the call for a Central Hill Tribal University etc are the standing testimonies.

On the other hand it also stands that the divide amongst the student community may be seen from a broader spectrum-Manipur and this definitely goes against the universal understanding of the term peaceful co-existence.

There could be many reasons for such a mental make up to grip the consciousness of the people, but it is deeply disturbing to note the difference coming out at such a critical juncture.

So is it going to be a case of from MU community Vs AP Pandey, MU community Vs K Yugindro to now MU community Vs hill based civil society organisations with stand offs against the police at regular intervals ?

The Government too should take note of the disturbing development and see how it can set things right.