Imphal, October 14: Even as eleven student of Imphal College have been remanded to judicial custody for their involvement in agitation to protest termination of part-time lecturers, Education Minister L Nandakumar has stated that the Government order of terminating services of 466 part time lecturers of 26 out of the 28 Government colleges would be reviewed.

Talking to The Sangai Express, Nandakumar disclosed that the Government is considering to review the termination order.

However, he declined to comment on how soon the review would take place.

When asked on the possibility of some sort of special arrangement to be made in view of the agitation of the students, the Minister simply reiterated that efforts are being made to review the order.

It may be recalled that the Minister addressing a meeting at Chandel district recently had stated that stand of the Government to terminate the part timers from their services had been taken as the agitating part timers did not heed to appeal of the Government to call off their agitation.

Part time lecturers working in various Govt colleges had also met the Minister at his office yesterday.

While functioning of Govt colleges had come to a standstill owing to different form of agitation by peeved student unions over the issue of termination of 466 part-time lecturers, information has been received of the State Govt preparing to conduct fresh recruitment of lecturers through the Manipur Public Service Commission.

"details are being chalked out to appoint 186 lecturers in Government colleges under the MPSC, said reliable source.

"The state government has already requisitioned for the said posts to us for conducting the recruitment examination.

Within a few days time we would make advertisement for the posts through the media," disclosed the source while adding that the whole examination process would be conducted according to the standing guidelines of the University Grants Commission.

The Govt College Part Time Lecturers' Association, whose members had been rendering services for over 15 years had strongly reacted against the termination order effective from Sept 27 claiming they were not provided room for negotiation.

The order cited various points some of which referred to the recent verdict of Supreme Court and lecturers' defiance on calling off their agitation.

Before their services were sacked, the part timers had resorted to cease work strike demanding restoration of the state's previous policy that regularised 108 part timers in the year 2000.The government, however, abolished the policy saying that it was framed as one time measure.

Following the termination of these lecturers, academic atmosphere in almost all the government colleges in the state remained paralysed as students launched protest demonstration, burnt effigies of the Education Minister and Education Department officials and even locked their respective institutions accusing the Government of being indifferent to their long pending demand for adequate strength of teaching staff that suffered another jolt with the recent termination order.

While some students of DM College of science a premier college of the state, have begun relay hunger strike at their college premises, irate students of Imphal College burnt signboard of the college at the residence of education minister L Nandakumar Singh yesterday.

While the impasse continues, a duty Magistrate today remanded 11 Imphal College students to judicial custody for 15 days on charges of taking part in the sign-board burning agitation at the residence of the Education Minister yesterday.

Having perused the case diary, the Magistrate initially granted bail to them for a PR Bond of Rs 5000 each but the student agitators declined to furnish the bonds resulting in the remand order, informed source said.

Imphal police picked all the 11 students and have registered an FIR case against the them under various sections.

All ofthem were produced before the duty Magistrate.

Meanwhile, from boycotting their classes, students of many colleges either resolved to or had already closed down their colleges in protest against the termination order of the part time lecturers.

Even as Moirang College students' union decided to boycott classes from tomorrow and students' union of YK College, Wangjing persisted with its boycott stir, student unions of GP Women's College and Modern College have been boycotting their classes.

Thadou Students' Association, Sadar Hills District Committee has also announced its decision of extending support to the ongoing agitation even as Moirang College Teachers' Association and Rashtriya Janata Dal, Patsoi Constituency Council, etc have exerted pressures on the Government to review its decision on part timers.

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