ILPS movement resurges with renewed vigour, students on war path
Pro-ILPS activists clash with police, 15 injured
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 06 2014: Police today had a tough time trying to control different pro-ILPS rallies taken out by students of different educational institutions.

Atleast 15 persons including a policeman, nine students of GP Women's College and five students of Imphal College were injured in agitator-police clashes that broke out at different areas.

At around 12.30 pm, students of GP Women's College took out a rally demanding ILPS implementation.

However, as police barricaded them from marching towards Raj Bhavan and Chief Minister's bungalow, the rally diverted towards Keishampat junction.

Although, police tried to block the students at Thoubal parking and Keishampat junction and many other points on Wahengbam Leikai road, they managed to reach BT road near Ima Keithel overcoming police barricades.

Student clash with Police

When the students reached Ima Keithel area, women vendors, who were staging a sit-in-protest there, joined the students and tried to move towards Kangla on BT Road.

However, a tense confrontation broke out between agitators and police near Ima Keithel as police prevented the rallyists to move eastward on BT Road.

In the melee, a girl student fainted and police diverted the rally towards busy Paona Bazar road to reach Keishampat.

When the rally passed Paona Bazar, almost all the shops pulled their shutters down and police sealed all the by-lanes which connect Paona Bazar and Governor's Road.

From Keishampat, the rallyists were guided towards GP Women's College, where the rally culminated.

On the otherhand, students of Manipur College also took to street to move towards Chief Minister's bungalow on NH-2 at around 12.20 pm.

With police blocking the rally at Yumnam Leikai, a tense face-off ensued between students and police.

Police later fired tear gas canisters and mock bombs on the students as they constantly tried to break the police barricade with some residents of the area also joining them in the agitation.

Even as some students were injured in the scuffle, a policeman was hospitalised at Shija Hospitals after he was also seriously injured on the face when a tear gas canister exploded as he tried to fire it on agitators.

Different scenes of confrontation between police and student activists seen in the course of protest rallies and demonstrations staged in pursuit of the demand for ILPS in Manipur

Meanwhile, a large number of Imphal College students also staged a rally on Tiddim Road pressing for ILPS implementation at around 3 pm.

However, police prevented the rallyists from moving beyond Keishampat bus parking.

Without resorting to any unwanted action, police asked the students to turn back towards their college.

After a brief confrontation, police guided the students towards their college campus, where another brief scuffle broke out at college gate.

In Bishnupur district, students of Kumbi High School, Sanatombi Oriental School, Shamballei Sekpil School, YP School, Ideal School, Sanding Primary School took out a rally at Kumbi under the aegis of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) Students Wing.

The rally started from Kumbi Bazar and culminated at the same place after passing through Kumbi Terakhong.

JCILPS Students Wing convenor Bullet said that it is unfortunate to maintain silent by the Government even after people's uproar.

The State Government must be held responsibility if any untoward incident happens.

Womenfolk and Meira Paibi activists of Nambol Tongbram Leikai Nambol Meisnam Leikai No 3,4,5 and Nupi Marup Konthoujam Area Committee took part in a joint sit-in-protest organised by JCILPS at Kangmong Manglak.

Similar sit-in-protests were staged at Kangmong Langonjam and Kangmong Meisnam Leikai No 1, 2 .

It was decided in these protests that entry of non-locals has been at Kangmong area.

People of Meitei Pangal also staged sit-in-protest at Hatta demanding implementation of ILPS today.