Student bodies clash at CC HSS election
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 26 2017: Numerous students of Churachand Higher Secondary School suffered minor injuries in a clash between supporters of candidates of the school students election held today .

Police had to fire several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse and control the students involved in the violence inside the school campus and along the busy Sanjenthong road .

The incident occurred at around 3 pm today, when all of a sudden, a group of supporters of DESAM and AMSU got into a heated argument inside the school's canteen after the counting of the election began (polling was held in the morning) .

After a heated argument between the two groups, a confrontation broke out among the students inside the school campus which later spread outside along the road .

The students pelted stones at one another, which was later joined by some supporters of one group who were waiting outside the campus for the election result .

Imphal East police personnel deployed in and around the school campus for looking after students' election, found it hard to control the situation which soon went out of control .

Student bodies clash at CC HSS election

The confrontation among the two student groups and supporters, continued for around 10 minutes in front of the school entrance gate and during the confrontation some passer-by suffered minor injuries after some of the stones hit them .

Some vehicles also suffered minor damages .

Some office bearers of both the students' bodies were also seen near the school campus during the confrontation between the two groups of students .

Soon after, a large team of Imphal East police arrived on the spot and fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the confronting students .

A group of students were pushed back up to the school campus and another group upto the road leading to Checkon from Pureiromba Khongnangkhong .

Vehicles coming from both directions along the road, were stranded for more than half an hour due to the incident .

While the police personnel were trying to allow free passage of the vehicles along both sides of the road, a confrontation broke out again and the students began pelting glass bottles, stones and other hard objects at each other .

The police also resorted to firing tear gas shells to control the situation and blocked/diverted the vehicles coming along the road to other alternate routes, mainly from Palace gate and from the traffic point located on the northern side of CM bungalow, due to which Sanjenthong road bore a deserted look .

A lady teacher of the school reportedly fainted during the incident inside the school campus .

Soon after the confrontation, the counting of the vote was stopped by the school election authority and no decision has been taken till the time of filing this report .

When a group of reporters approached the Principal of CC Higher Secondary School for any planned further course of action regarding the students election, she declined to give any comment .

A large number of police personnel have been deployed inside and outside the school campus and also at Pureiromba Khongnangkhong, as the groups of students of both sides were still gathered at Pureiromba Checkon road and inside the school campus and the blocking/ diversion of the road continued till around 6 pm .

Parents of some of the students also came to take their children back from the school .

Many of the passer-by and drivers of the vehicles which were stranded due to the incident expressed the need for the police force to implement modern mob control technique and ethics which will eliminate the inconveniences caused to the passers-by and the innocent civilians .

They also expressed desire for the students as well as the students’ bodies to think and act before resorting to violence.