Imphal, November 23 2009: The DESAM has accused the Apunba Lup, MSF, AMSU and KSA of converting the people's movement against the July 23 killings into an anti-people movement.

Following the prolonged use of students as shield by the three student bodies, people have now stood up against the movement, thereby giving undue advantage to the Government, asserted DESAM in a press release.

The people of Manipur already subjugated for many years are being suppressed all the more by the Apunba Lup and the three student bodies, it alleged.

DESAM has been fighting against human rights violation, excesses of security forces and fake encounters.

It is crucial for the people prevent fake encounters and human right violations but it is wrong to make student sacrificial lambs in the movement for protection for human rights.

The ongoing agitation is more akin to terrorists holding school students hostage for their certain demands.

Saying that it is right to undertake movements together with students, DESAM asserted that no solution can be brought to any movement if it has turned against students and is strangling students on the excuse that the movement is for right to life and right to education.

Defeat of a movement spearheaded by civil society organisations is a defeat for the people, DESAM noted while iterating that it was never a spectator nor a judge to the movement post July 23 killings.

Rather, DESAM supported it.

But DESAM's concern is about devising strategy/line of approach so as to make the movement a massive one.

Those undertaking the movement need to train the people to struggle against the Government.

But the movement witnessed today is about some people only.

Those people undertaking the movement have not been organising the people except bullying/threatening people and school authorities, DESAM asserted.

While they themselves have been hiding for fear of police actions, imprisonment, NSA etc, they have been shouting about the media through media saying that the movement is continuing and that it is for securing right to life.

DESAM appealed to those undertaking the movement to frankly declare that the movement cannot be brought to a solution.

DESAM supports the movement but it is against banning education and withering the future of a society.

DESAM would go together with any body whether they may be army, police, insurgents or beggars if it can bring quality education and make education a free zone.

It pointed out that India got its freedom after its citizens got modern education.

For a nation, education is question of life and death, DESAM asserted.

The present situation of the society marked by corruption and violence is a result of neglecting education in the past.

Highly abominable acts of violence and immoral activities being witnessed in the State are all results neglecting education, it said.

DESAM called the ongoing agitation 'agitational terrorism' because of the rhetoric used by the Apunba Lup and the three student bodies which included forced class boycott, threatening school authorities, bus/van service operators and often repeated words of 'defy on own risk', DESAM justified.

Rather than studying the term 'agitational terrorism', it would be better for the student bodies and the Apunba Lup to study their own activities.

Alleging that some functionaries and followers of student bodies currently undertaking class boycott have been giving exams of some professional institutions conducted by Manipur University, DESAM remarked this is sheer hyprocisy.

Reacting to the statement of the three student bodies that there was no rule of law under the incumbent Government, DESAM asserted that the three student bodies have been contributing to the present situation bereft of rule of law.

It asked whether violation of right to education and robbing the source of livelihood of thousands of teachers and other people was safeguarding rule of law.

It further asked the three student bodies not to make ad hominem arguments.

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