Police come out strongly against 'undemocratic stir'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 24 2018:
Coming out strongly against what he termed as 'undemocratic agitation' Inspector General of Police, (Law and Order) Clay Kongsai has asserted that the protest staged by students in connection with the Manipur University issue, is violent and violates all democratic norms.
To underline his point while interacting with media persons at the conference hall of SP, Imphal West today, video clips were screened to underline the excesses of the agitators.
DIG Jayentakumar, SP Imphal West H Jogeschandra and SP Imphal East K Meghachandra were also present at the media briefing.
Clay Kongsai said that even though the police had appealed the public and the students, through the media a few days ago, not to stage any undemocratic form of protest, the protest by students at Khoyathong and Thangmeiband area on July 23 was far from being democratic and instead were violent.
He said that the protesters used abusive words, pelted stones, used sling shots and even made obscene gestures to provoke the security personnel and added that the protesters did not even care for the civilians who were coming along the road and pelted stones at them as well.
The IGP continued that it will become difficult for the security personnel to tolerate such excesses and appealed to all those concerned to refrain from such undemocratic forms of protest in the future.
DIG Jayentakumar said that following the open declaration by MUSU that they will storm the Assembly session yesterday, adequate security measures were taken up by the police to save public property and to maintain law and order in the Assembly area.
The Imphal West DC even passed a prohibition order in the surrounding area of the State Assembly.
The prohibition order was announced by police teams using loud speakers to the locals in advance and when the agitating students tried to take out their protest in the prohibited area, the police personnel and even the Magistrate tried to cool them down as much as they could as they did not want any confrontation.
It is very unfortunate that the agitators attacked the police with sling shots loaded with steel balls, throwing burning tyres, glasses and others, he added.
Use of abusive words/ language by the agitators, mainly by the highly educated students of Manipur University, is very unfortunate, he claimed.
SP Imphal West and Imphal East also appealed to all not to carry out such undemocratic forms of protest, especially by the highly educated students of Manipur University in the future.
They continued that the protesters were very aggressive yesterday and added that some even seemed to have no knowledge about the reasons or demands for which the protest was carried out.
They lauded the security personnel for remaining cool and calm despite the provocative actions of the protesters towards them.
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