Tension is running high in Manipur Institute of Technology following the firing of tear gas canisters and baton charging on Sunday night injuring 20 students and forcible eviction of the girls and boys from the hostels at the dead of night by the principal in charge Kulachandra T along with policemen he had brought. The students have been demanding removal of the principal in charge. On Sunday the students staged a sit-in protest in furtherance of their demand.
Mr. Kulachandra came in the afternoon along with policemen and one magistrate. The magistrate gave the agitating students 20 minutes to leave the campus. However the students objected saying that they should be allowed to carry on the peaceful democratic protest. After the expiry of the 20 minutes' time police pulled down the tents and slogans. When the students protested, police resorted to baton charging and firing of tear gas canisters. Most of the 20 injured students were evacuated to hospital. One student coming from Noida was also admitted to hospital.
Soon, the principal in charge ordered the boys and girls in the hostels to vacate. Police forced them to leave. Since the students coming from other states and far off rural and hill areas have nowhere to go, they somehow assembled in the outhouse of a person nearby where they stayed for the night.
Talking to reporters, the general secretary of Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur Thoithoi Arambam said that the principal in charge had forced the students to deposit magazine fee, developmental fee, placement fee, medical test fee totalling Rs 6,800 each to his personal account. In the last five years the institute has not brought out any magazine.
Mr. Arambam further said that there is no sign of developmental works in the past few years. He said that the baton charge and firing of tear gas canisters are highly objectionable since the students are launching a peaceful democratic protest. DESAM is also demanding removal of the principal in charge.
Home Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei is not making any comment on the alleged excesses of the police in terrorising the students in this manner and eviction of the boy and girl students from other states from hostels at late night.
