78 students injured in police crackdown
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 10 2024:
At least 78 students were injured on Tuesday following police crackdown on a student-led protest in and around the capital city.
The protests since Monday, called for resignation of Director General of Police (DGP) and state's security advisor, replacement of inefficient central forces, and reinstatement of the authority of the Unified Command to the chief minister.
Following Monday's protest, the students, drawn from various schools, colleges, and universities, stayed overnight at Khwairamband Keithel, vowing not to return home until their demands were met.
They resumed their protest on Tuesday, following the submission of a memorandum to Manipur Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Monday.
The memorandum also included demands for the 50 MLAs to take decisive action or resign, a call for Government of India to halt the "proxy war" against the Meetei community, and a statement that Manipur might seek self-determination if the crisis continues.
The students warned that they may take a leading role in the ongoing unrest if the government fails to protect the public.
By Tuesday afternoon, the students, along with Meira Paibi members and women vendors from Khwairamband Keithel, gathered to await a response from the Governor.
After receiving no response by 2 pm, the protestors began marching along BT Road towards the Raj Bhavan.
Police initially stopped the march, allowing a few student representatives to meet the Governor.
However, when protestors forced their way forward, tensions escalated.
Some from among the crowd reportedly started pelting stones at the police, who responded with tear gas shells.
The situation quickly worsened as protestors retaliated with incessant stone pelting and using slingshots.
A police booth set up at Khwairamband Keithel was set on fire by the demonstrators.
As the confrontation intensified, additional personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and 4 Assam-Rifles (AR) arrived at the scene to support the state police.
Police and RAF personnel fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, and clashes between protestors and law enforcement continued until dusk.
Around 6 pm, 11 student representatives were escorted to Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Acharya.
One of the students, Wangkheirakpam Disan, later told the media that while the Governor listened to their demands, he refused to set a deadline for addressing them, citing the difficulty in meeting such demands.
Considering the response from the Governor, students will continue their protest, boycott schools and colleges until the demands are honoured, Disan stated.
The protests resumed at Khwairamband Keithel, leading to another round of police action.
Tear gas shells were fired to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to at least 78 students.
Some students were struck by tear gas shell fragments, while others fainted due to the smoke inhalation.
Four students were rushed to Raj Medicity for emergency care, while 74 others were admitted to RIMS Hospital.
Among the injured at RIMS, 46 are female students and 28 male.
Manipur University students also staged a protest rally and burnt the effigy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
They later headed for the state secretariat, but were stopped at Kakwa in Imphal West district, he said.
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