MU students protest SF high-handedness
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 20 2015 : Expressing their angst over the high frequency with which state security forces carry out combing operations at Manipur University men's hostels, research scholars and students burnt furniture at the gate of the hostels on Friday.

A commotion began to gather shape at the men's hostels of the university at around 10.30 am after police personnel cordoned the area and conducted a combing operation in the hostels earlier in the morning.

Students brought out tables and beds from their rooms and stacked them in front of the main entrances.

Later, they set the furniture on fire to demonstrate their resentment at the overbearing attitude of the security personnel.

Later, the students staged a sit-in-protest and displayed placards which read 'we want to live peacefully' .

MU students holding a sit-in protest in front of one of the hostels

One research scholar who was participating in the demonstration stated today's combing operation was the second within the last seven days.

Moreover, in the past security persons will intrude at will inside the hostels and indulge in activities to disturb the academic atmosphere and breach their privacies in the name of security exercises.

He protested that this morning also the personnel forcibly entered the rooms of the students and ransacked their closets during the hour-long search operation.

Though such actions by the security personnel have disturbed the academic atmosphere in the hostels, the university authorities have never taken up remedial measures, he stated further pointing out that indifference of the authorities to the students' problems was one of the reasons that flared up the situation.

Meanwhile, MUSU condemned the arbitrary and high-handed behavior of the state forces.

Addressing a press meet at its office at MU Students' Home, the vice-president of the students' union, Arambam Baby, stated that after enquiries with the vice-chancellor it was affirmed that the police had not sought prior permission from the authorities before launching the combing operation at the hostels.

She disclosed that executive members of MUSU accompanied a police team led by Adll SP P Bikramjit that conducted search operation at the four men's hostels on January 14 although the union was not given advanced information about it.

The objective behind the participation of its members was to preempt untoward incidents during the operation for which MUSU had nothing to do, she clarified.